'Pancake' stingrays found in Amazon
Published: March. 14, 2011 at 8:38 PM
IQUITOS, Peru, March 14 (UPI) -- Scientists say they have discovered two new species of freshwater stingrays in the Amazon rain forest and dubbed them "pancake" rays.
Called that because of their almost perfectly round, flat shape, the examples belong to the first new stingray genus found in the Amazon area in more than 20 years, Nathan Lovejoy, a biologist at the University of Toronto, and Marcelo Rodrigues de Carvalho of the University of Sao Paolo in Brazil, said.
The researchers' work in the upper Amazon confirmed the new genus, Heliotrygon, and the two new species, Heliotrygon gomesi and Heliotrygon rosai, LiveScience.com reported Monday.
Besides their pancake-like appearance, both rays are big, have slits on their bellies and sport a tiny spine on their tails.
More:
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/03/14/Pancake-stingrays-found-in-Amazon/UPI-29781300149496/