The Amur catfish, or Japanese common catfish, ''Silurus asotus'', is a species of catfish (sheatfish), family Siluridae. It is a large freshwater fish found in continental

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...

and in Japan. It prefers slow-flowing rivers, lakes, and irrigation canals. Its appearance is typical of a large silurid catfish. Larval ''S. asotus'' specimens have three pairs of barbels (one maxillary, two mandibular), while adult fish have only two pairs (one maxillary, one mandibular); second pair of mandibular barbels degenerates."Relationship between external and internal morphological changes and feeding habits in the fry state of Japanese Catfish ''Silurius Asotus''"
, 1999, Osamu Yada and Atsushi Furukawa, UJNR Aquaculture 28th Panel Proceedings This species grows to in

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

Culinary use

In Korean cuisine, the fish is called ''megi'' () and is used to boil '' maeun-tang'' (spicy fish soup).

References

;Bibliography * ;Notes Silurus Catfish of Asia Fish of East Asia Freshwater fish of China Freshwater fish of Japan Fish of Mongolia Fish of Russia Freshwater fish of Taiwan Fish described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{catfish-stub