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Pangasius sanitwongsei Smith, 1931

Image contributors to this species:

Allan James (2) Frants Lehmann (1 Stamp) Johnny Jensen's Photographic Library (1) Jean-Francois Helias (7) Cheilinus Aquarium Photography (2)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Important food fish and is often referred to in textbooks and popular press or news media. Threatened due to over harvesting, habitat loss and pollution. Fishery used to be accompanied by rites and ceremonies of a religious nature. Description: Fins are pigmented with dusky melanophores. First soft ray in dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins prolonged into a filament. Broad head; black tips on first few anal-fin rays in individuals of all sizes, particularly in juveniles; palatine and vomerine teeth united into a single long crescentic patch. Mouth wide, its width 5.5-5.9 times in SL. Habitat: Inhabits large rivers. Juveniles are found in larger tributaries. Reproduction: A migratory species which spawns just before the rainy season and the young of the year reach a length of about 10 cm by mid-June. Diet: Both young and adults feeds on fishes and crustaceans. Larger individuals have been known to feed on carcasses of fowl or dog (which are commonly used for bait). Etymology: The specific name sanitwongsei: In honour of the late Yai Suapan Sanitwongse, physician and medical officer in Thai government service, for “his keen personal interest” in the fishes of Thailand; he brought this species to Smith’s attention and pointed out its distinctive characters. Remarks: This catfish is not really recommended for the home aquarium as they grow too big and have special requirements that we as aquarists can never attain. Do not buy from Fish stores if they are labeled as such, or as Pangasius species.

Common Name:

Giant Pangasius, Paroon Shark

Synonyms:

Pangasius beani

Family:

Pangasiidae

Distribution:

Asia: Chao Phraya and Mekong river basins. Type locality: Menam Chao Phya at Koh Yai, Central Siam.

Size:

250.0cm. (8ft.4ins)

Temp:

22-26°C (71-79°F)

p.H.

7.0-8.5.

IUCN Red List

There are ongoing threats to P. sanitwongsei, including harvesting, and alteration of the river for dams and increased shipping. Assessed as Critically Endangered due to an estimated population decline of more than 99% over three generations, even using the most optimistic values for generation time and population size (assuming a constant exponential rate). This rate has been inferred for the whole population given that the same threats exist throughout the range of P. sanitwongsei, but needs updating (IUCN 2009).

Reference:

Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2009. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (02/2010).
Jenkins, A., Kullander, F.F. & Tan, H.H. 2009. Pangasius sanitwongsei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009.
Roberts, T.R. and C. Vidthayanon, 1991. Systematic revision of the Asian catfish family Pangasiidae, with biological observations and descriptions of three new species. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 143:97-144.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.

Family: Pangasiidae Back to Ident-A-Cat Click on Thumbnails

Pangasius sanitwongsei
Juvenile

Pangasius sanitwongsei
Stamp

Pangasius sanitwongsei

Pangasius sanitwongsei
Caught by Image contributor, Jean-Francois Helias

Pangasius sanitwongsei
25.50kg current IGFA World Record

Pangasius sanitwongsei
Head view

Pangasius sanitwongsei
Juvenile

Pangasius sanitwongsei
29.50 kg specimen which set a world record on Sept 8, 2007

Pangasius sanitwongsei

Pangasius sanitwongsei
Juvenile

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