The bronze featherback (''Notopterus notopterus'') is a

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

in the family

Notopteridae The family Notopteridae contains 11 species of osteoglossiform (bony-tongued) fishes, commonly known as featherbacks and knifefishes. These fishes live in freshwater or brackish environments in Africa and West, South, East and Southeast Asia. W ...

found in

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. 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 estuary ...

. 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 The Kingdom of Laos was the form of government in Laos from 1947 to 1975. Located in Southeast Asia at the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula, it was bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, North Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the sou ...

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, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and Thailand. It is preserved and prepared in different ways. In

Burmese cuisine Burmese cuisine encompasses the diverse regional culinary traditions of Myanmar, which have developed through longstanding agricultural practices, centuries of sociopolitical and economic change, and cross-cultural contact and trade with neighb ...

, 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 (food), paste. Alternatively it refers to cooked fish that has been physically broken down by pou ...

. In

Thai cuisine Thai cuisine (, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand. Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with aromatics and spicy heat. The Australian chef David Thompson (chef), David Thompson, an expert on Thai food, observes that ...

'','' a variety of ''

nam phrik ''Nam phrik'' (, ) is a type of Thailand, Thai Spice, spicy chili sauce typical of Thai cuisine. Usual ingredients for ''nam phrik'' type sauces are fresh or dry chilies, garlic, shallots, Lime (fruit), lime juice and often some kind of Fish past ...

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

Chitala ornata The clown featherback (''Chitala ornata''), also known as the clown knifefish and spotted knifefish, is a nocturnal species of tropical fish with a long, knife-like body. This knifefish is native to freshwater habitats in Cambodia, China, Hong K ...

'', 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