Wallago attu (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Wallago

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Siluriformes \| Siluridae
Synonyms	Silurus attu, Wallagonia attu, Silurus macrostomus, ... more
Common names	Shark catfish, Walaya, Bohari, ... more

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Main reference

Talwar, P.K. and A.G. Jhingran. 1991. (Ref. 4833)
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Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 240 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6028); common length : 75.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6028)

Environment

Demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 37770); freshwater; brackish

Climate / Range

Tropical; 22°C - 25°C (Ref. 2060); 38°N - 10°S

Asia: Pakistan to Viet Nam and Indonesia. Reported from Afghanistan (Ref. 39701). Lower risk - near threatened status in Western Ghats, India (Ref. 44149).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal soft rays (total): 5; Anal soft rays: 77 - 97. Head broad, snout depressed. Body elongate, strongly compressed. Mouth very deeply cleft, its corner reaching far behind eyes. Teeth in jaws set in wide bands; vomerine teeth in two small patches. Barbels two pairs; maxillary barbels extending to anterior margin posterior of anal fin, mandibulary barbels to angle of mouth. Eyes small, with a free orbital margin. Dorsal fin small, anal fin very long (Ref. 4792). Mandibular barbel longer than pelvic fin; 24-30 gill rakers on the first arch (Ref. 12693). Eye in front of vertical through corner of mouth (Ref. 43281).

Found in large rivers, lakes and tanks. A large, voracious and predatory catfish which thrives in heels with grassy margin (Ref. 6028); mostly hides under holes in river banks and canals (Ref. 44149). Associated with deep, still or slow-flowing water with a mud or silt substrate (Ref. 6028). Sluggish and stays on muddy or silty bottom in search of food. Juveniles feed mainly on insects; adults feed on smaller fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. Oviparous, distinct pairing possibly like other members of the same family (Ref. 205). Abundant during the warm season; a pre-monsoon summer breeder. In the Mekong, it is reported to migrate to smaller streams, canals and to the floodplain during the flood season (Ref. 37770). When the water level in the Mekong drops and the flood recedes, it moves to the Mekong or larger tributaries, where it stays in deep pools until the next inundation period (Ref. 37770). Destructive to other more valuable food-fishes. Bites strongly if handled, with its huge mouth, formidable jaws, and band of conical teeth. Threatened due to over harvesting (Ref. 58490).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Traumatogenic

Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

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Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Fec = 66,070)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Moderate vulnerability (41 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Capuli, Estelita Emily

Modified by Torres, Armi G.

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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