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pearing this month for the July 2023 factsheet is the "Menoda catfish" or to give it its proper scientific name, Hemibagrus menoda. This bagrid has a somewhat flattened head and sports a pattern of dark dots arranged in vertical columns on the sides of the body. This can't be seen readily on the aquarium specimen below which has a darker body but the dark spots are there.

 Hemibagrus menoda

Hemibagrus menoda was described from the Kosi, Mahanadi and other rivers in the north of Bihar and Bengal, India (Hamilton 1822), with a neotype from the Surma (Meghna) River drainage in Bangladesh being designated by Ng and Ferraris (2000). It inhabits rivers and ponds in plains and submontane regions. It is usually dug out from the bottom of ponds where they lie buried in soft, wet clay.

 Hemibagrus menoda - note the spots

Indian aquarist Arnob Bora states that this fish which is now very rare and was once known to everyone in Assam. It was was once found fairly abundantly in the rivers, and are lucky if you see one, nowadays (Bora, Arnob 2023). Further south it is still fairly common in the rivers and tributaries of Bangladesh.

Menoda catfish

Pimelodus menoda, Bagrus corsula, Bagrus trachacanthus, Macrones corsula, Aoria corsula, Mystus menoda, Mystus menoda trachacanthus, Mystus trachacanthus

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Asia: Ganges, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi and Godavari river drainage's in Bangladesh and northern India. Reported from Nepal. Type locality: Kosi, Mahananda, and other rivers in north of Behar and Bengal [now: Bangladesh, Suarma (Meghna) drainage, Sharighat bazaar, 22 miles NE of Sylhet on SylhetShillong hwy, by neotype designation.

40.0cm. (16ins)

22-28°C (71-83°F)

Dorsal spines (total): 2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7; Anal soft rays: 12 - 13; Vertebrae: 44 - 45. Distinguished from its congeners by the following unique combination of characters: head length 32.7-33.5% SL, head depth 14.2-15.3% SL, depth of caudal peduncle 7.5-8.8% SL, eye diameter 11.9-12.3% HL, a convex snout and a broad, shallowly incised humeral process.

As with most of the genus, H. menoda can become a pretty nasty character in your fish tanks and if housed with other fish can be lethal. Cichlids such as the Pikes from the Crenichla genus that can look after themselves would be the best bet for other tank mates. If kept with other fish they will have to be able to look after themselves.

Not recorded

Not recorded

Whilst this catfish is best described as a predator/carnivore in its natural habitat feedings of fish, insects, shrimps and other crustaceans, in captivity this catfish will feed on mussels, prawns, pieces of fish, earthworms and will even take prepared foods such as catfish pellets.

Adipose fin: Fleshy finlike projection without rays, behind the rayed dorsal fin.
Anal fin: The median, unpaired, ventrally located fin that lies behind the anus, usually on the posterior half of the fish.
Caudal fin: The tail.
Caudal peduncle: The narrow part of a fish's body to which the caudal or tail fin is attached.
Dorsal fin: The primary rayed fin(s) on top of the body.
Humeral process: Bony extension of the pectoral girdle.
Lateral line: A sensory line, along the sides of the body.
Pectoral fins: The paired fins just behind the head.
Vertebrae: The bones of the axial skeleton; divided into two sections, precaudal and caudal vertebrae.

Hemibagrus: Hemi- half; bagrus- From 'bagre', a South American name for a catfish, but is only used for African and Asian species.
menoda: local name for this species in Bangladesh.

Photo Credits

© Ben Lee @
© Mostafa Hossain
Map: © Sadoff et al