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Discopyge tschudii (Southwest Atlantic subpopulation)

Status_ne_offStatus_dd_offStatus_lc_offStatus_nt_offStatus_vu_onStatus_en_offStatus_cr_offStatus_ew_offStatus_ex_off

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
ANIMALIA CHORDATA CHONDRICHTHYES RAJIFORMES NARCINIDAE

Scientific Name: Discopyge tschudii (Southwest Atlantic subpopulation)
Species Authority: Heckel in Tschudi, 1844
Common Name/s:
English – Apron Ray
Spanish – Raya Eléctrica, Torpedo

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Vulnerable A3bd+4bd ver 3.1
Year Published: 2004
Assessor/s: Massa, A., Hozbor, N. & Lamilla, J.
Reviewer/s: Kyne, P.M., Cavanagh, R.D., Fowler, S.L. & Musick, J.A. (Shark Red List Authority)
Contributor/s:
Justification:
Discopyge tschudii is a small temperate electric ray from the Southwest Atlantic and Southeast Pacific Oceans (occurring as two separate subpopulations). It is rare in southern Brazil where it occurs only in small numbers in winter and in Uruguay captures are also low. In Northern Argentina, biomass measured by research trawling decreased by 88% in the years 1994–1999. However, because there was an apparent change in the distribution pattern of the species it is impossible to tell whether this decline was caused by a reduction in population size or geographic availability of Discopyge mitigated by different hydrographic conditions. However, given this data and intense fishing pressure across its range in the Southwest Atlantic it is classified as Vulnerable there. Future research may result in downgrading the conservation status to Near Threatened or upgrading perhaps as high as Critically Endangered.

Geographic Range [top]

Countries:
Native:
Argentina; Brazil; Uruguay
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:
Native:
Atlantic – southwest
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population Trend: Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Systems: Marine
Citation: Massa, A., Hozbor, N. & Lamilla, J. 2004. Discopyge tschudii (Southwest Atlantic subpopulation). In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 20 June 2013.
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