| Giant catfish | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Ariidae |
| Genus: | Netuma |
| Species: | N. thalassina |
| Binomial name | |
| Netuma thalassina (Rüppell, 1837) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
The giant catfish (Netuma thalassina), also known as the giant sea catfish, giant salmon catfish, giant marine-catfish, or the khagga,[2] is a species of catfish in the family Ariidae.[3] It was described by Eduard Rüppell in 1837, originally under the genus Bagrus.[1] It inhabits estuaries and occasionally freshwater bodies, in Japan, Australia, Polynesia, southern Vietnam in the Mekong Delta, the Red Sea and the northwestern Indian Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 10 to 195 m (33 to 640 ft).[3] It reaches a maximum total length of 185 cm (73 in), but usually reaches a TL of 70 cm (28 in).
The diet of the giant catfish includes crustaceans such as crabs, shrimp, prawns and stomatopods; worms, finfish, cephalopods, sea cucumbers, and mollusks.[4][5][6] It spawns between April and August.[7]
The giant catfish is harvested commercially and recreationally.[3]
References
- 1 2 Synonyms of Netuma thalassina at www.fishbase.org.
- ↑ Common names of Netuma thalassina at www.fishbase.org.
- 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Netuma thalassina" in FishBase. May 2019 version.
- ↑ Food items reported for Netuma thalassina at www.fishbase.org.
- ↑ Food and Feeding Habits Summary Netuma thalassina, 1 at www.fishbase.org.
- ↑ Food and Feeding Habits Summary Netuma thalassina, 2 at www.fishbase.org.
- ↑ Spawning for Netuma thalassina at www.fishbase.org.