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Ingestion of microplastics by Hypanus guttatus stingrays in the Western Atlantic Ocean (Brazilian Amazon Coast)
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Researchers documented, for the first time, microplastic ingestion by Longnose stingrays (Hypanus guttatus) from the Brazilian Amazon coast, finding particles in the stomach contents of approximately one-third of 23 examined specimens. Fibres were the most common form (82%), PET the most frequent polymer (35%), and blue the predominant colour, providing a new baseline for batoid elasmobranch microplastic exposure in the Western Atlantic.
The present study documents, for the first time, the ingestion of microplastics (MPs) by Longnose stingrays in the Western Atlantic Ocean. We examined 23 specimens of Hypanus guttatus from the Brazilian Amazon coast and found microplastic particles in the stomach contents of almost a third of the individuals. Fibers were the most frequent item (82%), blue was the most frequent color (47%) and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) was the most frequent polymer recorded (35%), as identified by 2D imaging - Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). The ingestion of microplastics by Longnose stingray has not been previously recorded. The findings of the present study thus provide an important baseline for future studies of microplastic ingestion by dasyatid rays and other batoid species in the Atlantic Ocean, and contribute to the broader understanding of the spatial and temporal dimensions of the growing problem of plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems and organisms.
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Microplastics were documented for the first time in the digestive tract of the freshwater white-blotched river stingray in the Xingu River, Amazon, with 66.6% of 24 individuals containing plastic particles (81 total items), dominated by blue fibres and including 8 polymer types confirmed by 2D FTIR imaging.
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Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.