Wallagonia leerii

Wallagonia leerii, also known as the striped wallago catfish, helicopter catfish, or Tapah is a species of catfish native to Southeast Asia. Its habitat ranges from the river drainages of Thailand through the Malayan peninsula to the islands of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia.[1] It can grow up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in length and weigh up to 95 kg (209 lb).[1] It has been used as food in Southeast Asia since ancient times.[2]

Wallagonia leerii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Siluridae
Genus: Wallagonia
Species:
W. leerii
Binomial name
Wallagonia leerii
(Bleeker, 1851)
Synonyms
  • Wallago leerii Bleeker, 1851
  • Wallago nebulosus Vaillant, 1902[1]
  • Wallago tweediei Hora & Misra, 1941[1]

Until osteological research validated the genus Wallagonia in 2014, W. leerii was included in the genus Wallago.[1]

The other two species of the genus Wallagonia, W. micropogon from the Mekong river basin and W. maculatus from the Kinabatangan river basin on Borneo, are currently considered as distinct species. There are, however, strong suspicions that they may in fact be subspecies of W. leerii, as the sole difference seems to lie in a slightly different coloration.[1]

Mating

In July, adults migrate downstream to flooded grasslands to spawn. At night, the eggs are spawned near the surface.[3]

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References
  1. Roberts, T.R. (2014): Wallago Bleeker, 1851 and Wallagonia Myers, 1938 (Ostariophysi, Siluridae), Distinct Genera of Tropical Asian Catfishes, with Description of †Wallago maemohensis from the Miocene of Thailand. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, 55 (1): 35-47.
  2. Charles Higham, A. Kijnga ed. The Origins of the Civilization of Angkor: Volume VI The Iron Age. page 43. IV 'The Fish Remains'
  3. "Wallago leeri". Mekong River Commission. Retrieved 16 June 2014.


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