Rev. biol. mar. oceanogr. 50(3): 593-596

Research Note

First records of the leopard electric ray Narcine leoparda (Torpediniformes: Narcinidae) in the Ecuadorian Pacific

Colombo Estupiñan-Montaño¹ and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.¹

¹Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Av. I. P. N., s/n Colonia Playa Palo de Santa Rita, Apartado Postal 592, C.P. 23000, La Paz, Baja California Sur, México

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The aim of this study was to report the presence of the leopard electric ray Narcine leoparda in Ecuadorian waters; to date, this is the southernmost report of this species in the Tropical Eastern Pacific. Thus, the geographic distribution of N. leoparda now extends another ca., 620 km from Cauca, Colombia (previous southernmost limit of this species’ distribution) to Manta and Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador. These 4 new records of leopard electric rays in the Ecuadorian Pacific increase the species richness of cartilaginous fishes in the region to a total of 93 species, including 58 sharks, 34 batoids, and one chimera. This report also extends the geographic distribution of N. leoparda in the Tropical Eastern Pacific.

Key words: 

Batoid fishes, electric rays, Eastern Pacific, Ecuador