PlanetCatfish.com - Wallago attu (Siluridae) Cat-eLog

Juvenile
Kaveri/Cauvery River in Karnataka, Southern India
Close-up of teeth
Close-up of head
Taken at Nagpur fish market, central India
Taken at Nagpur fish market, central India
Taken at Nagpur fish market, central India
Stamp
Close-up of mouth
Close-up of head
Tungabhadra Dam, Karnataka, India

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Wallago attu** (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Common Names	Helicopter Catfish Freshwater Shark, Helikoptermalle (Denmark), Mully Catfish, Pla Khao (Thailand), Tapah (Indonesia), Trey Sanday (Cambodia)
Type Locality	Malabar, India.
Synonym(s)	Callichrous macrostomus, Pinniwallago kanpurensis, Silurus attu, Silurus boalis, Silurus macrostomus, Silurus muelleri, Silurus mulleri, Silurus wallago, Wallago attu valeya, Wallago russelli, Wallagonia attu, Wallagu attu
Pronunciation	wall AH go - ah two
Etymology	Wallago: After its Telugu and Tamil names Walaga (Telugu and Tamil are both Dravidian languages of South India). attu: After its Malayalam name Attu Vaalay (Malayalam is another Dravidian language South India).
Species Information
Size	2400mm or 94.5" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	1) Mouth extends back beyond eye. 2) maxillary barbels longer than pelvic fin. 3) 24-30 gill rakers on the first arch. 4) 77-96 anal-fin rays. 2000mm is the maximum recorded length, due to over fishing and habitat destruction, specimens over 1800 mm are nowadays very rare.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Asia: Pakistan to Viet Nam and Indonesia. Reported from Afghanistan. Lower risk - near threatened status in Western Ghats, India. Pakistan Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Indian waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Bangladesh Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Myanmar Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Nepal Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Sri Lanka Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Thailand Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Vietnam waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Laos Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Cambodia waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Pacific, Malaysia Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Indonesian Waters (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Vulnerable , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2019.
pH	6.0 - 7.6
Temperature	19.0-29.0°C or 66.2-84.2°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	Not important, a large migratory fish found everywhere but highland streams. Resistant to poor water quality, including high levels of heavy metals.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	According to Smith (1945) in his Freshwater Fishes of Siam, ''Their great size, large mouth, and formidable teeth enable them to kill and devour almost every kind of fish.'' Their diet in the wild is consists of mainly cyprinids (barbs, Rasboras, etc). User data.
Furniture	Not a suitable aquarium fish. In nature, inhabits grassy margins of deep, still or slow-flowing ponds or pools with a mud or silt substrate near the banks of rivers.
Compatibility	See feeding. Handle with care : this species bites strongly if handled!
Suggested Tankmates	None.
Breeding	In nature, spawns during the pre-monsoon season, from June to August. Normally a bottom dweller, it rises to the surface to breed. Unluckily for the fish, the courting pairs are so absorbed in each other that they readily fall prey to fishermen. Has been bred commercially in fish farms in Malaysia.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	M. E. Blochii, Systema Ichthyologiae, pp 378, Pl. 75.
Registered Keepers	There are 5 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There is but a single wish to keep this species, see who wants what.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 6 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.7.74.163
Last Update	2025 Jan 02 01:37 (species record created: 2001 Jun 10 00:00)