Cambodia is a country in mainland Southeast Asia. It borders Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, the Gulf of Thailand and covers a total area of approximately 181,035 km2 (69,898 sq mi). The country is situated in its entirety inside the tropical Indomalayan realm and the Indochina Time zone (ICT).
The Mekong or Mekong River is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of 4,909 km (3,050 mi) and a drainage area of 795,000 km2 (307,000 sq mi), discharging 475 km3 (114 cu mi) of water annually. From its headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau, the river runs through Southwest China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and southern Vietnam. The extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls in the Mekong make navigation difficult. Even so, the river is a major trade route between Tibet and Southeast Asia. The construction of hydroelectric dams along the Mekong in the 2000s through the 2020s has caused serious problems for the river's ecosystem, including the exacerbation of drought.
The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand.
Tonlé Sap is a lake in the northwest of Cambodia. Belonging to the Mekong River system, Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems in the world. It has been designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1997 due to its high biodiversity. In the 21st century, the lake and its surrounding ecosystems are under increasing pressure from deforestation, infrastructure development and climate change.
The iridescent shark or iridescent shark catfish is a species of shark catfish native to the rivers of Southeast Asia. Despite its name, it is not a shark. It is found in the Mekong basin as well as the Chao Phraya River, and is heavily cultivated for food there.
The wildlife of Laos encompasses the animals and plants found in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, a landlocked country in southeastern Asia. Part of the country is mountainous and much of it is still clad in tropical broadleaf forest. It has a great variety of animal and plant species.
Hemibagrus wyckioides, the Asian redtail catfish, is a species of catfish of the family Bagridae.
Helicophagus is a genus of shark catfishes native to Southeast Asia.
The Jullien's golden carp is a species of endangered freshwater ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae found in Southeast Asian river basins. Its existence is being threatened by various economic activities, such as large-scale agriculture and the building of dams for hydropower.
The Mekong wagtail is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae. It was first described in 2001 and named in honour of the late Cambodian ornithologist Sam Veasna. It is a black and white bird, similar in appearance to the African pied wagtail, although their ranges do not overlap. Its facial features and distinctive voice distinguish it from other black and white wagtails in southeastern Asia.
Hypsibarbus lagleri is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Hypsibarbus which is endemic to the middle Mekong basin in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. It is fished for as a food fish and marketed fresh.
The Java barb, more commonly known as silver barb in aquaculture, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Barbonymus.
Paralaubuca s a genus of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Xenocyprididae, the East Asian minnows or sharpbellies. The species in this genus are found in Asia.
Paralaubuca harmandi is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Xenocyprididae, the East Asian minnows or sharpbellies. This fish is from south east Asia. It occurs in the Mekong and Chao Praya in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is a solitary species which is normally found as scattered individuals in the shallow and medium depths of large rivers. It feeds on zooplankton and insects of larger size than the other species in Paralaubuca. It moves into floodplains during the monsoon to feed and maybe to breed, and it has also been recorded undertaking short migrations upstream in rivers. It is fished for by both commercial and subsistence fisheries and it is processed into fermented products in Cambodia while elsewhere it is salted and dried. This species is rare in the aquarium trade.
Paralaubuca riveroi is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Xenocyprididae, the East Asian minnows or sharpbellies. This fish occurs in Southeast Asia.
Scaphiodonichthys acanthopterus is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae. It is found in clear, fast-moving streams and tributaries of the Mekong, Nam Xam, Da and Chao Phraya river basins in Indochina. S. acanthopterus is most commonly found in waterways with a rocky bottom and under complete tree cover.
The elephant ear gourami is a large species of gourami native to the Mekong river basin in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.
Synocrossus beauforti, the barred loach, chameleon loach or chameleon botia, is a species of freshwater fish from the loach family Botiidae which is found in mainland south-east Asia.
Leptobarbus rubripinna, also known as the Sultan barb, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish from the carp and minnow family, Cyprinidae which occurs in south-east Asia.
Auriglobus nefastus, known as the greenbottle pufferfish, is a species of pufferfish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is a freshwater species native to Asia, where it may be found from the Mekong basin to Indonesia. It occurs in fast-flowing waters of rivers and streams, although it is known to enter flooded forests and plains when river water levels rise. It feeds on the scales and fins of other fish and reaches 13 cm SL. The common name of the species comes from its coloration, which ranges from light green to golden.
