''Silurus soldatovi'', Soldatov's catfish or northern sheatfish (russian: сом Солдатова), is a large

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...

species from the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

Habitat

Soldatov's catfish lives in Amur River (

Ussuri The Ussuri or Wusuli (russian: Уссури; ) is a river that runs through Khabarovsk and Primorsky Krais, Russia and the southeast region of Northeast China. It rises in the Sikhote-Alin mountain range, flowing north and forming part of the ...

) in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and China. It prefers water temperatures from 5 to 25 °C.

Description

This catfish is visually similar to the closely related

Wels catfish The wels catfish ( or ; ''Silurus glanis''), also called sheatfish or just wels, is a large species of catfish native to wide areas of central, southern, and eastern Europe, in the basins of the Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas. It has been introd ...

. Soldatov's catfish has a large flat head. Its mouth is blunt and rounded, the upper jaw shorter than the lower jaw. Barbels are located on the upper jaw and chin. It has the following formula fins: dorsal six soft rays, anal 83–90 soft rays. The fish can live up to 20 years, and can grow to about 4 meters in length and weigh 40 kilograms.

Threats

The Soldatov's catfish population is threatened by overfishing, habitat degradation and water pollution. Due to its localized distribution and the low population density, the population is now considered endangered.

References

External links

Picture of ''Silurus soldatovi''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2442659 Silurus Fish of East Asia Freshwater fish of China Fish of Russia Taxa named by Georgii Vasil'evich Nikolskii Taxa named by Sergey Gavrilovich Soin Fish described in 1948