Wallago attu

Wallago attu is a freshwater catfish of the family Siluridae, native to South and Southeast Asia. It is commonly known as helicopter catfish or wallago catfish. Some regional designations, such as the Manipuri Sareng, the Bengal Boal, the Sylheti Gual or the Malaysian and Indonesian Tapah are also occasionally used in English. W. attu is found in large rivers and lakes in two geographically disconnected regions (disjunct distribution), with one population living over much of the Indian Subcontinent and the other in parts of Southeast Asia. The species can reach a total length of 1 m.Roberts, T.R. (2014): Wallago Bleeker, 1851 and Wallagonia Myers, 1938 (Ostariophysi, Siluridae), Distinct Genera of Tropical Asian Catfishes, with Description of †Wallago maemohensis from the Miocene of Thailand. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, 55 (1): 35-47. It shares parts of its native range with the externally similar, but much larger Wallagonia leerii, and is subsequently often confused for it. It can, however, be differentiated by its relatively long and narrower head, as well as its dorsal fin, which is high and sharp, opposed to that of W. leerii, which is lower and rounded. Additionally, the eyes of W. attu lie above the mouth of the fish, whilst they lie on the same level as the mouth in W. leerii. This catfish is one of the fish species that has been used as food in Southeast Asia since ancient times.Charles Higham, A. Kijnga ed. The Origins of the Civilization of Angkor: Volume VI The Iron Age. page 43. IV 'The Fish Remains'

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