Hemibagrus wyckioides

Asian Redtail Catfish
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Bagridae
Genus: Hemibagrus
Species: H. wyckioides
Binomial name
Hemibagrus wyckioides
(P. W. 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.

Distribution

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

Appearance and anatomy

H. wyckioides reaches a length of 130 centimetres (51 inches) 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]

Ecology

A school swimming beneath a bridge in the town of Mae Chaem, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

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 JulyOctober.[2] H. wyckiodies feed on insects, prawns, fish and crabs.[2]

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 left the Hell alone.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2007). "Hemibagrus wyckioides" in FishBase. May 2007 version.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 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. 1 2 Linder, R. Shane (June 2000). "The Catfishes of Asia Family Bagridae part two" (PDF). Cat Chat 1 (2).
  4. 1 2 Ralph, Chris (2004-10-04). "Hemibagrus wyckioides". ScotCat.com. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
  5. "PlanetCatfish::Cat-eLog::Bagridae::Hemibagrus wyckioides". 2006-11-12. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
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