''Pangasius'' is a genus 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. 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 * ''Helico ...

'') 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 vertebral 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 and Indonesia , 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 Malaysia , Pangasius Sanitwongsei was also a common fish in aquarium trade and sport fishing.

Species

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

Sauvage Sauvage, French for "savage" may refer to: ; as a surname: * Catherine Sauvage (1929–1998), a French singer and actress * Cyrille Sauvage (born 1973), a French racing driver * Frédéric Sauvage (1786–1857), a French boat builder who carried ...

, 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 ''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''. ...

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'' Pouyaud, Teugels & Legendre, 1999 * '' Pangasius larnaudii'' 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 ''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''. ...

'' (

Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Pangasius nieuwenhuisii'' (

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'' (

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 ''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''. ...

'' 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'' 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 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