SCOTCAT.COM  

Tao Qin (1) Zeng & Chen 2025 (3)

Description: Bagarius dolichonema can be distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characteristics: lateral margin of frontal straight, not forming brow ridge, dorsal spine strong (width 9.9–14.1 times its length), weakly notched antero-dorsal margin on pterygiophore of first dorsal-fin, filamentous extensions of pectoral-fin spine beyond posterior of pelvic-fin base and some reaching anus, neural spines of 4th–6th vertebrae immediately anterior to adipose fin distally slightly flattened, adipose-fin origin at vertical through or very slightly posterior to anal-fin origin, caudal peduncle slender (3.8–4.6% SL). Habitat: Known to be found in the Irrawaddy River Basin in Myanmar and the Manipur River in India, with its presence also expected in the Chinese part of the Irrawaddy River Basin, (Zeng & Chen 2025). Etymology: The epithet name “dolichonema” comes from the Greek adjective “dolikhos,” meaning long, and the noun “nema,” meaning thread or yarn, which refers to the length of filamentous extensions with pectoral-fin spines and caudal fins that are the longest in congeners except for B. bagarius. The suggested common name in Chinese is (Pinyin: chang si pi). Remarks: As of January 2021 there are now five Bagarius species described. The "Devil Catfish" Bagarius bagarius from the Indian subcontinent. The "Dwarf Goonch" B. vegrandis is found in Chao Phraya and the Mekong. The "Flat head Goonch" B. suchus is found in Chao Phraya and the Mekong. The Giant B. lica is found in every basin except Salween. B. rutilis from Vietnam, and the undescribed species B. sp. salween which is only found in Salween and is now described as B. protos.. B. yarrelli is now a synonym of Bagarius bagarius. Update: As of June 2025 there are another two species described by Yang & Chen, B. protos (B. sp. "salween") and B. dolichonema bringing the total to seven.

None

None

Sisoridae

Asia: Known to be found in the Irrawaddy River Basin in Myanmar and the Manipur River in India, with its presence also expected in the Chinese part of the Irrawaddy River Basin.

22.0cm. (8¾ins)

18-25°c (64-77°f.)

6.5-7.8.

Fish in the News 2025.
Zeng Y-Y, Pu X-R, Lei H-T, Oo TN, Chen X-Y (2025) A taxonomic review of Bagarius catfish (Siluriformes, Sisoridae) in the Salween and Irrawaddy rivers, with descriptions of two new species from China and Myanmar. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101(3): 1123-1136.