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FACTSHEETS: March 2020 - no. 285

Bagarius yarrelli (Sykes, 1839)

ur factsheet this month is concentrating on a catfish that should never really be kept in the aquarium as an adult but only as a juvenile but this beggars the question, what would you do with it when it outgrows your tank. The species in question has the common name of "Goonch" or the "Devil Catfish" and is from the Sissoridae family and namely what we are talking about here is Bagarius yarrelli.

Bagarius yarrelli

Bagarius yarrelli

Based on the study in West Bengal the status of the species, as it is currently understood, is assessed as Near Threatened. The taxonomic status of Bagarius from throughout the Indian subcontinent is badly in need of critical study. Irrespective of the confusion surrounding the taxonomy of this species, the currently known populations of Bagarius yarrelli are harvested heavily in different parts of its range as food fish and for ornamental trade and as sport fish (IUCN 2010).

Bagarius yarrelli - showing the teeth

Bagarius yarrelli - showing the teeth

Bagarius lica Volz, 1903, and B. nieuwenhuisii Popta, 1904 were described from Sumatra and Borneo, respectively but now known as synonyms of B. yarrelli. This species is only suitable for freshwater public aquariums were they can give it over to huge acrylc tanks where it can grow to over 6 ft. (1.8cm) long. It inhabits a variety of fluviatile habitats, although it is typically associated with swift, clear rivers with a substrate of rocks and sand.

Distrbution: Type locality: Mota Mola at Poona, Deccan, India.

As a large, predatory fish that is actively caught for food, this species is in some danger of being overexploited. Even though current indications are that this species is still relatively abundant, the current fishing pressure on this species (at least on the Indian subcontinent) is likely to be unsustainable; local declines reported in some studies for B. bagarius may refer to this species (Mishra et al. 2009). However, more empirical data is needed to support this claim. The effects of other potential anthropogenic threats such as habitat destruction and competition from alien species need to be further ascertained (H.H. Ng.).

Remarks: As of January 2021 B. yarrelli is now a synonym of Bagarius bagarius. There are now five Bagarius species described. The "Devil Catfish" Bagarius bagarius from the Indian subcontinent. The "Dwarf Goonch" B. vegrandis is found in Chao Phraya and the Mekong. The "Flat head Goonch" B. suchus is found in Chao Phraya and the Mekong. The Giant B. lica is found in every basin except Salween. B. rutilis from Vietnam, and the undescribed species B. sp. salween which is only found in Salween. B. yarrelli is now a synonym of Bagarius bagarius.

Common Name

Goonch

Synonyms

Bagrus yarrelli

Family

Sisoridae

Subfamily

Sisorinae

Distribution:

Asia: Indus and Ganges drainages, most of southern India east of the western Ghats, Mekong basin, Xe Bangfai basin (Laos) to Indonesia. Type locality: Mota Mola at Poona, Deccan, India.

Size

200cm. (6ft 8ins)

Temp.

18-25°c (64-77°f.)

p.H.

6.0-7.5.

Characteristics

Vertebrae: 40 - 45. Pelvic-fin origin usually behind the base of the last dorsal ray; adipose-fin origin in front or above the anal-fin origin. Elongate neural spines 2-5, slender; abdominal vertebrae 21-24. Eye circular, diameter 10-13 times in HL; head width 4.3-4.7 times in SL.

Colour

Occasional dark spotted pattern on yellow or olive brown body. Three black bands to body, one at the dorsal insertion, one at the adipose fin insertion, and one at the area of the caudal peduncle.

Aquarium Care & Compatibility

Grows very large and is a natural predator on small and large fish so not really an addition to the home aquarium. Better to leave well alone.

Breeding

Spawns in rivers before the rainy season. Migrates in schools and is also reported to migrate to follow its prey. Also reported that it follows Catlocarpio siamensis (The Siamese giant carp) during its upstream migration. Apparently the main upstream migration begins close to the peak of flood when the current is very strong and the water is turbid.

Sexual differences

Not recorded

Diet

Feeds primarily on prawns but will take small fishes and aquatic insects. In the aquarium Juveniles can be fed bloodworm, small earthworms, and prawns.

Glossary of Terms

Synomyn: Different name for the same fish.
Caudal peduncle: The narrow part of a fish's body to which the caudal or tail fin is attached.
Dorsal fin: The primary rayed fin(s) on top of the body.
Pectoral fins: The paired fins just behind the head.
Adipose fin: Fleshy finlike projection without rays, behind the rayed dorsal fin.

Etymology

Bagarius: From the local name Vaghari, in Calcuta.
yarrelli: Named for fellow zoologist and friend of the author William Yarrell (1784-1856).

References

Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2009. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (09/2010).
IUCN. 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2010.4).
Kottelat, M., A.J. Whitten, S.N. Kartikasari and S. Wirjoatmodjo 1993 Freshwater fishes of Western Indonesia and Sulawesi. Periplus Editions, Hong Kong. 221 p.
Mishra, S. S., Acherjee, S. K. and Chakraborty, S. K. 2009. Development of tools for assessing conservation categories of siluroid fishes of fresh water and brackish water wetlands of South West Bengal, India. Environmental Biology of Fishes 84(4): 395?407.
Ng, H.H. 2010. Bagarius yarrelli . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010.
Ng, H. H, Kottelat, M. 2021. Description of Bagarius vegrandis, a new species of sisorid catfish from Indochina (Actinopterygii: Siluriformes), with notes on the identity of Bagarius bagarius.
Rainboth, W.J. 1996 Fishes of the Cambodian Mekong. FAO Species Identification Field Guide for Fishery Purposes. FAO, Rome, 265 p.
Roberts, T.R. 1983. Revision of the south and southeast Asian sisorid catfish genus Bagarius, with description of a new species from the Mekong. Copeia 1983(2): 435?445.
Sykes, W.H. 1839. [On the fishes of the Deccan]. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1838: 157?165.

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