The bronze featherback (''Notopterus notopterus''; as, কান্ধুলি ''kandhuli'', bn, ফলি, bn, কাংলা,, th, ปลาสลาด, ปลาฉลาด, ปลาตอง, Vietnamese: ''Cá thát lát'', my, ငါးဖယ်) is a

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

in the family Notopteridae found in South and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

. Although primarily found in fresh water, it has been known to enter

brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

. At present, it is the only member of the genus ''Notopterus'', but as currently defined, it is likely a

species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

Description

Young specimens are a dark bronze-like color that becomes lighter with age. The species reaches a length up to . The bronze featherback can easily be kept in an aquarium. Popular as food, this fish also appears in a stamp of the Kingdom of Laos.

As food

This fish has been used as food in Southeast Asia since ancient times, and remains an important food item in countries such as

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, Laos,

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

(Burma), and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. It is preserved and prepared in different ways. In Burmese cuisine, the flesh of the bronze featherback, locally known as ''ngaphe'', is used in ngachin, a pressed fish pickle, and is used to make

fish paste Fish paste is fish which has been chemically broken down by a fermentation process until it reaches the consistency of a soft creamy purée or paste. Alternatively it refers to cooked fish which has been physically broken down by pounding, grin ...

. In

Thai cuisine Thai cuisine ( th, อาหารไทย, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand. Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Australian chef David Thompson, an expert on Thai ...

'', nam phrik pla salat pon'' (น้ำพริกปลาสลาดป่น) is a variety of ''

nam phrik ''Nam phrik'' ( th, น้ำพริก, ) is a type of Thai spicy chili sauce typical of Thai cuisine. Usual ingredients for ''nam phrik'' type sauces are fresh or dry chilies, garlic, shallots, lime juice and often some kind of fish ...

'' with minced roasted ''pla salat'' eaten along with raw vegetables. It is popular in Khorat.''Nam phrik pla salat pon'' recipe
/ref> Although much smaller in size, it is similar in appearance to the ''

Chitala ornata The clown featherback, clown knifefish, or spotted knifefish, ''Chitala ornata'', is a nocturnal tropical fish with a long, knife-like body. This knifefish is native to freshwater habitats in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, but it has ...

'', another important fish in

References

External links

Notopteridae Freshwater fish of South Asia Freshwater fish of Southeast Asia Fish of Bangladesh Fish of Pakistan Fish described in 1769 Taxa named by Peter Simon Pallas {{Osteoglossiformes-stub

Description

As food

See also

References

External links