Helicophagus

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Helicophagus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Pangasiidae
Genus: Helicophagus
Bleeker, 1858
Type species
Helicophagus typus
Bleeker, 1858
Helicophagus Leptorhynchus (also known as Patin Muncung in Indonesian) plaaswaayhnuu.jpg
Helicophagus Leptorhynchus (also known as Patin Muncung in Indonesian)

Helicophagus is a genus of shark catfishes native to Southeast Asia.

Species

There are currently three recognized species in this genus: [1]

H. leptorhynchus is known from the Chao Phraya and Mekong River drainages in Indochina. [2] H. typus inhabits rivers of Sumatra and southeast Borneo. [3] H. waandersii is known from medium- to large-sized rivers of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia. [2]

H. leptorhynchus grows to about 47.2 centimetres (18.6 in) SL. [4] H. typus reaches a length of about 37.7 cm (14.8 in) TL. [3] H. waandersii has a maximum recorded length of about 70.0 cm (27.6 in) TL. [5]

The stomachs of the specimens of H. waandersii are more or less filled with mollusks, usually bivalves. [5] H. waandersii enters flooded forests. [5] H. waandersii migrates upstream when water levels begin to rise at the beginning of the flood season and moves downstream as water clears at the end of the flood season. [5]

Unlike H. waandersii, H. leptorhynchus stays in permanent river channels and does not move into flooded forests. However, it also migrates upstream and downstream with changes in the water level. [2] H. leptorhynchus feeds primarily on bivalves. [2]

References

  1. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Helicophagus". FishBase . February 2012 version.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Ng, Heok Hee; Kottelat, Maurice (2000). "Helicophagus leptorhynchus, a New Species of Molluscivorous Catfish from Indochina (Teleostei: Pangasiidae)" (PDF). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 48 (1): 55–58.
  3. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Helicphagus typus". FishBase . July 2007 version.
  4. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Helicophagus leptorhynchus". FishBase . July 2007 version.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Helicophagus waandersii". FishBase . July 2007 version.


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