| Siluridae (Sheatfishes) |
| 154 cm SL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 96 kg |
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demersal; freshwater |
| Asia: Mekong River drainage between Dau Tieng in southern Viet Nam and Luang Prabang in northern Laos; also middle Chao Phraya River drainage in Thailand. Previously misidentified as Wallago leerii from the Mekong River. |
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Dorsal soft rays (total): 5-5; Anal soft rays: 68-73; Vertebrae: 63-65. Distinguished by the following characters: 14-16 branchiostegal rays; 14-16 gill rakers on first branchial arch; 68-73 anal fin rays; small gape extending to anterior margin of eye; pelvic fin length 8.9-10.6% SL; small eye, 8.7-10.1% HL; maxillary barbels reaching to middle of pectoral-fin base; rounded pectoral fin in which the fourth branched pectoral ray is the longest; pectoral spine length 14.3-16.7% SL; dark colored body with a few pale spots forming a mottled pattern; and 63-65 vertebrae (Ref. 51260). |
| Adults feed strictly on fishes. Enters the flooded forest during high water and stays near the edge of the forest during low water (Ref. 9497). Migrates into smaller streams to spawn (Ref. 37770). Oviparous, distinct pairing possibly like other members of the same family (Ref. 205). |
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Data deficient (DD); Date assessed: 21 February 2011 Ref. (130435)
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| harmless |
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Found in the Mekong basin (Ref. 43281). Stays near the edge of the forest during the period of low water and enters the flooded forest during high water. Caught during high waters when it enters the flooded forest mainly with "jun" (trap-door traps) and also by single hooks (bet ken) baited with pa soi (Ref. 9497). Found in Ban Hang Khone, a village on an island in the middle of the mainstream Mekong River just below the Great Khone Waterfalls in Khong District, Champasak Province (Ref. 37767). Its numbers have declined in the Khone Falls (Ref. 37772). Reported to migrate downstream in October-November (Ref. 37770). Fish migrate in groups into smaller streams to spawn (Ref. 37770). Also Ref. 30857, 37772, 56905. |
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