GOONCH CATFISH (Bagarius Yarelli)

Bagarius yarrelli (Goonch catfish)

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Siluriformes

Family: Sisoridae

Genus: Bagarius

Species: Bagarius yarrelli

Environment: milieu, climate zone, depth range, distribution range:

Freshwater; demersal; potamodromous. Tropical.

Distribution:

Asia: Indus and Ganges drainages, most of southern India east of the western Ghats, Mekong basin, Xe Bangfai basin (Laos) to Indonesia.

Size, weight, age:

Max. length: 2 m; weight: ?; age: ?

Short description:

This fish reaches up to 2 m (6.6 ft) in length, and weighs over 200 pounds. It may be largest species in the genus. The related B. bagarius, another species where there is considerable taxonomic confusion, has – perhaps in error – been reported as reaching the same size as B. yarrelli, while others consider B. bagarius to be a dwarf species that only reaches about 20 cm (7.9 in).