''Pangasius'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of medium-large to very large

shark catfish The shark catfishes form the family Pangasiidae. They are found in fresh and brackish waters across southern Asia, from Pakistan to Borneo. Among the 30-odd members of this family is the plant-eating, endangered Mekong giant catfish ''Pangasia ...

es native to fresh water 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 ...

. The term "pangasius" is sometimes used to specifically refer to the commercially important

basa fish Basa may refer to: Agreements * Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement, between National Aviation Authority regulators People * Basa (surname) * Bassa people (Cameroon), also spelled Basa, an ethnic group * Basa, leader and namesake of the Basingas ...

, ''P. bocourti''.

Taxonomy

In 1993, ''Pangasius'' was one of two extant genera (along with ''

Helicophagus ''Helicophagus'' is a genus of shark catfishes native to Southeast Asia. Species There are currently three recognized species in this genus: * ''Helicophagus leptorhynchus'' Ng Heok Hee, Ng & Maurice Kottelat, Kottelat, 2000 * ''Helicophagus typ ...

'') in the family Pangasiidae. At this point, it was split into four subgenera. ''Pangasius'' (''Pangasianodon'') included '' P. gigas'' and '' P. hypophthalmus'' and was diagnosed by the absence of mandibular barbels, the absence of teeth in adults and the presence of a single-lobed

swimbladder The swim bladder, gas bladder, fish maw, or air bladder is an internal gas-filled organ in bony fish that functions to modulate buoyancy, and thus allowing the fish to stay at desired water depth without having to maintain lift via swimming, w ...

. ''Pangasius'' (''Pteropangasius'') included ''P. micronema'' and ''P. pleurotaenia'' and was typified by four lobes in the swimbladder and with multiple segments in the last lobe. ''Pangasius'' (''Neopangasius'') included ''P. nieuwenhuisii'', ''P. humeralis'', ''P. lithostoma'', ''P. kinabatanganensis'', and typically had

palatal The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly sepa ...

teeth arranged in a single large patch and high

vertebra Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spina ...

l counts. ''Pangasius'' (''Pangasius'') was the final subgenus and had no unique features, including the remaining species. These subgeneric classifications were confirmed in 2000 except for ''Neopangasius'', found to be

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...

and to be part of ''Pangasius'' (''Pangasius''), thus leaving three subgenera. Since then, the subgenera have been variably recognized as separate. ''P. gigas'' and ''P. hypophthalmus'' have been classified in the genus ''

Pangasianodon ''Pangasianodon'' is a genus of large to very large shark catfishes native to the Mekong and Chao Phraya Rivers in Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region o ...

'', and ''P. micronemus'' and ''P. pleurotaenia'' in the genus '' Pseudolais'' (with ''Pteropangasius'' as a

junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...

). In 2011, ''Pangasius'' was sixth in the

National Fisheries Institute The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) is the United States industry trade group representing the seafood industry. It is a member of the International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA). Its member companies consist of all levels of busin ...

’s "Top 10" list of the most consumed seafood in the United States. The Top 10 is based on tonnage of fish sold. According to the NFI, this mild-flavored white-fleshed fish is farmed in Asia, and is being used increasingly in food service. It is finding its way onto restaurant menus and into stores, as well, where one may see it called basa, tra, or swai. They are either called Panga, Pangas or Pangasius. In

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, Pangasius are called Ikan Patin, while Malaysian Chinese call Pangasius 巴丁鱼. Some species like Pangasius Nasutus, Pangasius Djambal and Pangasius Sanitwongsei are expensive food fish in

, Pangasius Sanitwongsei was also a common fish in aquarium trade and

sport fishing Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is occupational fishing activities done for profit; or subsistence fishing, ...

Species

Currently, 22 recognized species are in this genus: * ''

Pangasius bocourti Basa (''Pangasius bocourti''), as it is commonly referred to, is a species of primarily freshwater-dwelling catfish in the shark-catfish family, Pangasiidae, native to the Mekong and Chao Phraya river basins of Mainland Southeast Asia. Econo ...

'' Sauvage, 1880 (basa fish) * ''

Pangasius conchophilus ''Pangasius conchophilus'' (snail eating pangasius) is a species of shark catfish.Roberts, Tyson R., and Chavalit Vidthayanon. "Systematic revision of the Asian catfish family Pangasiidae, with biological observations and descriptions of three ne ...

'' Roberts & Vidthayanon, 1991 (snail eating pangasius) * ''

Pangasius djambal ''Pangasius djambal'' is a species of freshwater fish in the family Pangasiidae, commonly found in Southeast Asia. Etymology The generic name ''Pangasius'' and the specific epithet ''djambal'' both refer to the name of the fish in the local lan ...

Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Pangasius elongatus ''Pangasius'' is a genus of medium-large to very large shark catfishes native to fresh water in South and Southeast Asia. The term "pangasius" is sometimes used to specifically refer to the commercially important basa fish, ''P. bocourti''. Tax ...

'' Pouyaud, Gustiano & Teugels, 2002 (elongated pangasius) * '' Pangasius humeralis'' Roberts, 1989 * ''

Pangasius icaria ''Pangasius'' is a genus of medium-large to very large shark catfishes native to fresh water in South and Southeast Asia. The term "pangasius" is sometimes used to specifically refer to the commercially important basa fish, ''P. bocourti''. Tax ...

'' Kathirvelpandian P.V. Ayyathurai, Paramasivam Kodeeswaran, Vindhya Mohindra, Rajeev K. Singh, Charan Ravi, Rahul Kumar, BasheerSaidmuhammed Valaparambil, Ajith Kumar Thipramalai Thangappan, Joykrushna Jena and Kuldeep K. Lal. 2022 * ''

Pangasius kinabatanganensis ''Pangasius kinabatanganensis'' is a species of shark catfish.Roberts, Tyson R., and Chavalit Vidthayanon. "Systematic revision of the Asian catfish family Pangasiidae, with biological observations and descriptions of three new species." Proceedi ...

'' Roberts & Vidthayanon, 1991 (kinabatang pangasius) * ''

Pangasius krempfi ''Pangasius krempfi'' is a species of freshwater fish in the family Pangasiidae, which is commonly known as the pangas. This species is native to the Mekong river of Southeast Asia. Description ''Pangasius krempfi'' was first described by Fang ...

Fang A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external fangs, ...

& Chaux, 1949 * '' Pangasius kunyit'' Pouyaud, Teugels & Legendre, 1999 * ''

Pangasius larnaudii ''Pangasius larnaudii'', the black ear catfish is a species of freshwater shark catfish endemic to Mekong and Chao Phraya The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. ...

Bocourt Marie Firmin Bocourt (19 April 1819 – 4 February 1904) was a French zoologist and artist. As a young man, he worked as a preparateur for the zoologist Gabriel Bibron (1805–1848), later serving as a museum artist. In 1861, he was sent to Thail ...

, 1866 (spot pangasius) * '' Pangasius lithostoma'' Roberts, 1989 * '' Pangasius macronema'' Bleeker, 1851 * ''

Pangasius mahakamensis ''Pangasius'' is a genus of medium-large to very large shark catfishes native to fresh water in South and Southeast Asia. The term "pangasius" is sometimes used to specifically refer to the commercially important basa fish, ''P. bocourti''. Tax ...

'' Pouyaud, Gustiano & Teugels, 2002 * ''

Pangasius mekongensis ''Pangasius'' is a genus of medium-large to very large shark catfishes native to fresh water in South and Southeast Asia. The term "pangasius" is sometimes used to specifically refer to the commercially important basa fish, ''P. bocourti''. Tax ...

'' Gustiano, Teugels & Pouyaud, 2003 (mekong pangasius) * ''

Pangasius myanmar ''Pangasius myanmar'' is a species of shark catfish.Roberts, Tyson R., and Chavalit Vidthayanon. "Systematic revision of the Asian catfish family Pangasiidae, with biological observations and descriptions of three new species." Proceedings of the ...

'' Roberts & Vidthayanon, 1991 (myanmar pangasius) * '' Pangasius nasutus'' (

Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Pangasius nieuwenhuisii ''Pangasius'' is a genus of medium-large to very large shark catfishes native to fresh water in South and Southeast Asia. The term "pangasius" is sometimes used to specifically refer to the commercially important basa fish, ''P. bocourti''. Tax ...

'' (

Popta Canna Maria Louise Popta (31 May 1860 – 13 June 1929)L.B. Holthuis, Biography i1820-1958, Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie page 82 (in Dutch). was a Dutch biologist. Born in Breda, Popta was one of the first women to enrol as a student at ...

, 1904) * ''

Pangasius pangasius ''Pangasius pangasius'', the Pangas catfish, is a species of shark catfish native to fresh and brackish waters of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and Pakistan. It has also been introduced to Cambodia and Vietnam. This species grows to a standard leng ...

'' (

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

, 1822) (yellowtail catfish) * ''

Pangasius polyuranodon ''Pangasius'' is a genus of medium-large to very large shark catfishes native to fresh water in South and Southeast Asia. The term "pangasius" is sometimes used to specifically refer to the commercially important basa fish, ''P. bocourti''. Tax ...

'' Bleeker, 1852 * '' Pangasius rheophilus'' Pouyaud & Teugels, 2000 * '' Pangasius sabahensis'' Gustiano, Teugels & Pouyaud, 2003 * ''

Pangasius sanitwongsei The giant pangasius, paroon shark, or Chao Phraya giant catfish (''Pangasius sanitwongsei'') is a species of List of largest fish, large freshwater fish in the shark catfish family (biology), family (Pangasiidae) of order (biology), order Siluri ...

Smith Smith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England ** List of people ...

, 1931 (giant pangasius) * ''

Pangasius silasi ''Pangasius silasi'' is a species of the Pangasiidae family, endemic to the Krishna River in India. Etymology Pangasius Silasi was named in honor of Eric Godwin Silas (1928-2018), a Sri Lankan-born Indian ichthyologist and fisheries scientis ...

'' Dwivedi et al., 2017

Fossil record

The single known fossil species of this genus, '' P. indicus'', is reported from the

Paleogene The Paleogene Period ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Neogene Period Ma. It is the fir ...

period of Sipang,

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

, either from the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

or the

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Pangasiidae Paleogene genus first appearances Catfish genera Taxa named by Achille Valenciennes Freshwater fish genera Extant Paleogene first appearances