Summary
Bagarius bagarius, also known as the giant devil catfish or goonch (Bengali: বাঘাইর), is a species of catfish in the genus Bagarius. It is generally reported as being found in large and medium rivers in South Asia,[3] and is likely synonymous with B. yarrelli.[1][4][5]
| Bagarius bagarius | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Sisoridae |
| Genus: | Bagarius |
| Species: | B. bagarius
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| Binomial name | |
| Bagarius bagarius | |
| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy edit
Prior to 2021, the standard was to recognize two species of Bagarius from the Indian Subcontinent: First B. bagarius, supposedly a small species (up to 20 cm or 7.9 in) first described in 1822 by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton based on a specimen from the Ganges River.[1] The second is B. yarrelli, supposedly a very large species (up to 2 m or 6.6 ft) first described in 1839 by William Henry Sykes based on a specimen from the Mula-Mutha River.[4] Recent studies have not been able to document that more than one species exists in the Indian subcontinent, which, if confirmed, would mean that the name B. bagarius is a senior synonym of B. yarrelli, which was confirmed by a 2021 study.[1][4][5] In contrast, Southeast Asian populations from the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins typically included in B. bagarius likely represent a separate species, which a 2021 study found to be the new species B. vegrandis.[1][5]
The larger type has been accused of several fatal attacks on humans in the Mahakali River that is Nepal's western border with India.
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Ng, H.H. (2022). "Bagarius bagarius". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022. IUCN: e.T213648894A213648930. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ Bagarius Bleeker, 1853
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2012). "Bagarius bagarius" in FishBase. January 2012 version.
- ^ a b c Ng, H.H. (2010). "Bagarius yarrelli". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010. IUCN: e.T166503A6223581. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T166503A6223581.en. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ a b c Ng, Heok Hee; Kottelat, Maurice (2021-02-04). "Description of Bagarius vegrandis , a new species of sisorid catfish from Indochina (Actinopterygii: Siluriformes), with notes on the identity of Bagarius bagarius". Zootaxa. 4926 (1): 134–146. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4926.1.9. ISSN 1175-5334.
5. 'Giant Baghair caught in Jamuna' Archived 2014-11-29 at the Wayback Machine in The Daily Star (Bangladesh), May 12, 2009]