''Pangasius'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of medium-large to very large shark catfishes native to fresh water in

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

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 United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

. The term "pangasius" is sometimes used to specifically refer to the commercially important basa fish, ''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 & Kottelat, 2000 * '' Helicophagus typus'' Bleeker, 1857 * '' H ...

'') 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. ''Pangasius'' (''Pteropangasius'') included ''P. micronema'' and ''P. pleurotaenia'' and was diagnosed 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'', diagnosed by palatal teeth arranged in a single large patch and high

vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic ...

l counts. ''Pangasius'' (''Pangasius'') was the final subgenus and had no diagnostic features, containing the remaining species. These subgeneric classifications were confirmed in 2000 except for ''Neopangasius'', found to be polyphyletic 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'', and ''P. micronemus'' and ''P. pleurotaenia'' in the genus '' Pseudolais'' (with ''Pteropangasius'' as a

junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

). 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. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and

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 ...

, 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 professional fishing for profit; or subsistence fishing, which is fishing ...

Species

Currently, 22 recognized species are in this genus: * '' Pangasius bocourti'' Sauvage, 1880 (basa fish) * ''

Pangasius conchophilus ''Pangasius conchophilus'' 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 o ...

Roberts Roberts may refer to: People * Roberts (given name), a Latvian masculine given name * Roberts (surname), a popular surname, especially among the Welsh Places * Roberts (crater), a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon ;United Stat ...

& Vidthayanon, 1991 (snail eating pangasius) * '' Pangasius djambal''

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 Asia, South and Southeast Asia. The term "pangasius" is sometimes used to specifically refer to the commercially important basa fish, ''P. boco ...

'' Pouyaud, Gustiano & Teugels, 2002 (elongated pangasius) * ''

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

'' Roberts, 1989 * ''

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." Proceed ...

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

Pangasius krempfi ''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 ...

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 fang ...

& Chaux, 1949 * ''

Pangasius kunyit ''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, Teugels & Legendre, 1999 * ''

Pangasius larnaudii ''Pangasius larnaudii'', the black ear catfish is a species of freshwater shark catfish endemic to Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, ...

'' Bocourt, 1866 (spot pangasius) * ''

Pangasius lithostoma ''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 ...

, 1989 * '' Pangasius macronema'' Bleeker, 1851 * '' Pangasius mahakamensis'' Pouyaud, Gustiano & Teugels, 2002 * '' Pangasius mekongensis'' 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'' ( Popta, 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 lengt ...

'' (

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, 1822) (yellowtail catfish) * '' Pangasius polyuranodon'' Bleeker, 1852 * '' Pangasius rheophilus'' Pouyaud & Teugels, 2000 * ''

Pangasius sabahensis ''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''. T ...

'' Gustiano, Teugels & Pouyaud, 2003 * '' Pangasius sanitwongsei'' Smith, 1931 (giant pangasius) * ''

Pangasius silasi ''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 ...

'' Dwivedi et al., 2017

Fossil record

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

Paleogene The Paleogene ( ; British English, also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene; informally Lower Tertiary or Early Tertiary) is a geologic period, geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period million yea ...

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 sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

, either from the

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

or the

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q312329 Pangasiidae Paleogene genus first appearances Catfish genera Taxa named by Achille Valenciennes Freshwater fish genera Extant Paleogene first appearances