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

Abstract

© 2015, Universidad de Valparaiso. All rights reserved. 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 elect ric 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.