Hystrix Freshwater Stingray

The catalog name is Potamotrygon hystrix, while some fish databases and older references use Potamotrygon histrix. Both spellings refer to the South American freshwater stingray commonly called the porcupine river stingray. [FishBase species guide](https://www.fishbase.se/Fieldguide/FieldGuideSummary.php?c_code=858&genusname=Potamotrygon&speciesname=histrix)

It is associated with the Paraná and Paraguay river systems of South America, especially in Argentina and Brazil. Unlike marine stingrays, it spends its life in inland freshwater habitats. [FishBase species guide](https://www.fishbase.se/Fieldguide/FieldGuideSummary.php?c_code=858&genusname=Potamotrygon&speciesname=histrix)

The species is relatively small for a freshwater stingray, reaching around 40 centimetres across the disc and up to about 15 kilograms in some records. It often lies partly hidden in sandy or marshy river bottoms. [FishBase species guide](https://www.fishbase.se/Fieldguide/FieldGuideSummary.php?c_code=858&genusname=Potamotrygon&speciesname=histrix)

Yes. Like other Potamotrygon river stingrays, it has one or more barbed tail spines covered with irritating or toxic mucus. FishBase notes that these spines can be shed and replaced two or three times a year. [FishBase species guide](https://www.fishbase.se/Fieldguide/FieldGuideSummary.php?c_code=858&genusname=Potamotrygon&speciesname=histrix)