Hemibagrus wyckioides

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Hemibagrus wyckioides
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Siluriformes Family: Bagridae Genus: Hemibagrus Species: H. wyckioides
Binomial name
Hemibagrus wyckioides (Fang & Chaux, 1949)
Synonyms
Macrones wyckioides Fang & Chaux, 1949 Mystus wyckioides (Fang & Chaux, 1949) Mystus aubentoni Desoutter, 1975

Hemibagrus wyckioides is a species of catfish (order Siluriformes) of the family Bagridae. It is occasionally called the Asian redtail catfish.

Contents 1 Distribution 2 Appearance and anatomy 3 Ecology 4 Relationship to humans 5 See also 6 References

[edit] Distribution

These catfish originate from the Mekong basin and are reported from Chao Phraya, Mae Klong and peninsular Thailand river systems.^[1]

[edit] Appearance and anatomy

H. wyckioides reaches a length of 130 centimetres (50 in) TL.^[1] This species is the largest Bagrid catfish in Asia and may reach 80 kilograms.^[2] The caudal fin is white when the fish is small, but it becomes bright red when it reaches about 15 cm (6 in).^[1]

H. wyckii bears a resemblance to H. wyckioides, however H. wyckioides lacks serrations on the dorsal fin spine, has a shorter dorsal fin base, and shorter maxillary barbels.^[2]

[edit] Ecology

H. wyckioides occurs in large upland rivers and is common in areas with rocky bottoms and irregular depths.^[1][2] These fish do not migrate, but they reproduce locally and enter the flooded forest during high water in July–October.^[2] H. wyckiodies feed on insects, prawns, fish and crabs.^[2]

[edit] Relationship to humans

This fish is marketed fresh as a food fish.^[1] Hemibagrus are aquacultured in Asian countries.^[3]

H. wyckioides and Hemibagrus wyckii are the two members of this genus imported as aquarium fish.^[3] This species will rearrange decorations in the aquarium.^[4] These fish are not picky and will eat a variety of fish foods.^[4] This species is sometimes claimed to be the most aggressive freshwater fish in the world, and should be kept alone.^[5]

[edit] See also

• List of freshwater aquarium fish species

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Hemibagrus wyckioides". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. May 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Ng, Heok Hee; Rainboth, Walter, J. (1999). "The Bagrid Catfish Genus Hemibagrus (Teleostei: Siluriformes) in Central Indochina with a New Species from the Mekong River" (PDF). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 47 (2): 555–576. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Linder, R. Shane (June 2000). "The Catfishes of Asia Family Bagridae part two" (PDF). Cat Chat 1 (2). 
4. ^ ^{a b} Ralph, Chris (2004-10-04). Hemibagrus wyckioides. ScotCat.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-18.
5. ^ PlanetCatfish::Cat-eLog::Bagridae::Hemibagrus wyckioides (2006-11-12). Retrieved on 2007-05-18.