Shark catfishes are members of the Pangasiidae family. They are distributed in Southern Asia, mainly in India, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. They have elongate and compressed body. Their eyes have a free orbital margin, situated behind corner of mouth, generally partly below its level. Their adipose fin is small, above the posterior of anal. Their anal fin are elongated and ventral fin situated behind dorsal. Their pectoral and dorsal with pungent spines.
They are primarily freshwater fish with some species that can tolerate brackish water and only one species occurs in true marine waters. They are highly migratory riverine fishes that makes long-distance migrations over several hundred kilometres between spawning and nursery habitats. Most species are omnivorous, feeding on algae, higher plants, zooplankton, and insects. Larger specimens also take fruit, crustaceans and fish.
There are 4 genera with about 30 species worldwide. Malaysia has 2 genera with 12 species.
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Scientific Name: Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (Sauvage, 1878) English Name: Striped Catfish, Sutchi Catfish Chinese Name: 苏氏口鲶 (Sū shì kǒu nián), 巴丁(Bā dīng) Local Malay Name: Ikan Patin, Patin Lawang Main Diagnostic Features: Dark stripe on the middle of anal fin and in each caudal lobe. Size: Maximum standard length 130 cm.  |