Narcine brachypleura (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1923) Torpedo brasiliensis Olfers, 1831 Torpedo ocellata Quoy & Gaimard, 1824 Narcine brasiliensis, the Brazilian electric ray[3] or lesser numbfish,[1] is a species of electric ray in the family Narcinidae.

It inhabits coastal waters of the Southwest Atlantic from Southern Brazil through Uruguay to northern Argentina.

On the South of the United States they are located on the southern coast of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi (GBIF).

They have more of an elongated/protruding body size, they aren't very short or rounded, this helps to differentiate them from other ray species.

[8] They have an electroreceptor system located on the ventral part of their body that is sensitive to low frequency, they use this in order to search for prey.

The females have a wider trunk (main part of the body), this is because they have to accommodate all of the embryos that they hold.

[5] The migration has also been associated with the higher temperatures in the south during the winter months, they have been observed having a sluggish and slow-moving sort of behavior if they are in water that is less than 20 °C (68 °F).

[5] They spend most of the time buried in the substrate or in murky water because of their demersal habits, in order to hide for predators or search for prey.

The Brazilian electric ray is considered a macropredator in its habitat and it plays an important part in the ecosystem dynamics.

Since they play such important roles, changes in their populations may lead to negative changes in the ecosystem at all the tropic levels.

[5] Some other things that this species has been known for feeding on are crustaceans, marine worms, poriferans (sponges), echinoderms (starfish), and some other types of benthonic fish.

Since they have a lot of muscle control in their mouths, these rays are able to remove the exoskeletons of crustaceans, squid mantels, and bivalve shells in order to eat only the indigestible parts.

One of these main effects, is the fishing industry, since they have been responsible for the decline of several populations of this species over the past 30 years.

Even though the fishermen may throw the rays back into the water alive they have been observed to sustain injuries from this.

Their release as by-catch from the trawl nets is even considered an annoyance and a challenge by fishermen because of the electric discharges that the rays are giving off as they are being handled.