Hemibagrus wyckioides

Hemibagrus wyckioides
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Siluriformes
Family:	Bagridae
Genus:	Hemibagrus
Species:	H. wyckioides
Binomial name
Hemibagrus wyckioides (Fang & Chaux, 1949)
Synonyms
Macrones wyckioides Fang & Chaux, 1949 Mystus wyckioides (Fang & Chaux, 1949) Mystus aubentoni Desoutter, 1975

Hemibagrus wyckioides is a species of catfish (order Siluriformes) of the family Bagridae. It is occasionally called the Asian redtail catfish.

Distribution

These catfish originate from the Mekong basin and are reported from Chao Phraya, Mae Klong and peninsular Thailand river systems.^[1]

Appearance and anatomy

H. wyckioides reaches a length of 130 centimetres (50 in) TL.^[1] This species is the largest Bagrid catfish in Asia and may reach 80 kilograms.^[2] The caudal fin is white when the fish is small, but it becomes bright red when it reaches about 15 cm (6 in).^[1]

H. wyckii bears a resemblance to H. wyckioides, however H. wyckioides lacks serrations on the dorsal fin spine, has a shorter dorsal fin base, and shorter maxillary barbels.^[2]

Ecology

H. wyckioides occurs in large upland rivers and is common in areas with rocky bottoms and irregular depths.^[1][2] These fish do not migrate, but they reproduce locally and enter the flooded forest during high water in July–October.^[2] H. wyckiodies feed on insects, prawns, fish and crabs.^[2]

Relationship to humans

This fish is marketed fresh as a food fish.^[1] Hemibagrus are aquacultured in Asian countries.^[3]

H. wyckioides and Hemibagrus wyckii are the two members of this genus imported as aquarium fish.^[3] This species will rearrange decorations in the aquarium.^[4] These fish are not picky and will eat a variety of fish foods.^[4] This species is sometimes claimed to be the most aggressive freshwater fish in the world, and should be kept alone.^[5]

See also

• List of freshwater aquarium fish species

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2007). "Hemibagrus wyckioides" in FishBase. May 2007 version.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Ng, Heok Hee; Rainboth, Walter, J. (1999). "The Bagrid Catfish Genus Hemibagrus (Teleostei: Siluriformes) in Central Indochina with a New Species from the Mekong River" (PDF). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 47 (2): 555–576. http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/47/47rbz555-576.pdf. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Linder, R. Shane (June 2000). "The Catfishes of Asia Family Bagridae part two" (PDF). Cat Chat 1 (2). http://www.catfishstudygroup.org/pdf/catfishes_of_asia2.pdf. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Ralph, Chris (2004-10-04). "Hemibagrus wyckioides". ScotCat.com. http://www.scotcat.com/factsheets/hemibagrus_wyckioides.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-18. 
5. ^ "PlanetCatfish::Cat-eLog::Bagridae::Hemibagrus wyckioides". 2006-11-12. http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=19. Retrieved 2007-05-18.