Teleostei (teleosts) >
Siluriformes (Catfishes) >
Siluridae (Sheatfishes)
Etymology: Wallago: wallago;Bleeker, in 1851, took the Indian fish name, gave it generic range and used it connection with a new species. The name is "walaga" in Telugu / Tamil (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Tropical
Asia: Mekong River drainage between Dau Tieng in southern Viet Nam and Luang Prabang in northern Laos; also middle Chao Phraya River drainage in Thailand. Previously misidentified as Wallago leerii from the Mekong River.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 154 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 43281); max. published weight: 96.0 kg (Ref. 9497)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal soft rays (total): 5; Anal soft rays: 68 - 73; Vertebrae: 63 - 65. Distinguished by the following characters: 14-16 branchiostegal rays; 14-16 gill rakers on first branchial arch; 68-73 anal fin rays; small gape extending to anterior margin of eye; pelvic fin length 8.9-10.6% SL; small eye, 8.7-10.1% HL; maxillary barbels reaching to middle of pectoral-fin base; rounded pectoral fin in which the fourth branched pectoral ray is the longest; pectoral spine length 14.3-16.7% SL; dark colored body with a few pale spots forming a mottled pattern; and 63-65 vertebrae (Ref. 51260).
Adults feed strictly on fishes. Enters the flooded forest during high water and stays near the edge of the forest during low water (Ref. 9497). Migrates into smaller streams to spawn (Ref. 37770). Oviparous, distinct pairing possibly like other members of the same family (Ref. 205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Ng, H.H., 2004. Wallago micropogon: a new species of Silurid catfish (Teleostei: Siluridae) from mainland southeast Asia. Copeia 2004(1):92-97. (Ref. 51260)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5312 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00562 (0.00279 - 0.01132), b=3.00 (2.83 - 3.17), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.5 ±0.80 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Assuming Fec > 10,000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).
