Teleostei (teleosts) >
Siluriformes (Catfishes) >
Pangasiidae (Shark catfishes)
Etymology: Pangasius: The Vietnamese name of a fish (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: Dr Yai Suapan Sanitwongse qualified as a physician at Edinburgh University (1885). [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Smith.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic; potamodromous (Ref. 51243). Tropical; 25°N - 9°N
Asia: Chao Phraya and Mekong basins.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 300 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2686); common length : 50.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2073); max. published weight: 300.0 kg (Ref. 7432)
Fins are pigmented with dusky melanophores. First soft ray in dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins prolonged into a filament (Ref. 4792). Broad head; black tips on first few anal-fin rays in individuals of all sizes, particularly in juveniles; palatine and vomerine teeth united into a single long crescentic patch (Ref. 12693). Mouth wide, its width 5.5-5.9 times in SL (Ref. 43281).
Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Inhabits large rivers. Juveniles are found in larger tributaries (Ref. 58784). Both young and adults feeds on fishes and crustaceans (Ref. 12693). Larger individuals have been known to feed on carcasses of fowl or dog (which are commonly used for bait) (Ref. 7432). A migratory species (Ref. 37772). Spawns just before the rainy season and the young of the year reach a length of about 10 cm by mid-June (Ref. 12693). Fishery used to be accompanied by rites and ceremonies of a religious nature (Ref 2686). Important food fish and is often referred to in textbooks and popular press or news media (Ref. 4537). Marketed fresh (Ref. 12693). Threatened due to over harvesting, habitat loss and pollution (Ref. 58490).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Roberts, T.R. and C. Vidthayanon, 1991. Systematic revision of the Asian catfish family Pangasiidae, with biological observations and descriptions of three new species. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 143:97-144. (Ref. 7432)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: commercial
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00457 (0.00216 - 0.00967), b=3.09 (2.91 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.0 ±0.66 se; based on food items.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).
