Heteropneustes fossilis
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Siluriformes (Catfishes)
Heteropneustidae (Stinging Catfishes)
Heteropneustes
Heteropneustes fossilis
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: elongated.
Distribution
Asia: Pakistan and Sri Lanka to Myanmar. Introduced elsewhare.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish. demersal. Found in: streams, marshes/swamps.
Biology
Adults found mainly in ponds, ditches, swamps and marshes, but sometimes occur in muddy rivers. Recorded as having been or being farmed in rice fields (Ref. 119549). Can tolerate slightly brackish water. Omnivorous. Breed in confined waters during the monsoon months, but can breed in ponds, derelict ponds and ditches when sufficient rain-water accumulates. Oviparous, distinct pairing possibly like other members of the same family (Ref. 205). In great demand due to its medicinal value. Venomous fish, from its pectoral spines (Ref. 94495).
Max length: 41.2 cm TL; max weight: 400 g.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters); parental care: biparental. Eggs are deposited in a depression usually excavated by both parents in mud, in shallow water. Parents guard the eggs and young until they can fend for themselves which lasts for about one month (Ref. 6028).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2019-08-11. Resilience: Medium (K=0.23; tm=1; Fec=4,200).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Talwar, P.K. and A.G. Jhingran (1991) Inland fishes of India and adjacent countries. Volume 2. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, i-xxii + 543-1158, 1 pl.
Pethiyagoda, R. (1991) Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka. The Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka, Colombo. 362 p.
Rainboth, W.J. (1996) Fishes of the Cambodian Mekong. FAO species identification field guide for fishery purposes. FAO, Rome, 265 p.
Kottelat, M. (2001) Fishes of Laos. WHT Publications Ltd., Colombo 5, Sri Lanka. 198 p.
Shaji, C.P., P.S. Easa and A. Gopalakrishnan (2000) Freshwater fish diversity of Western Ghats. p. 33-35. In Ponniah, A.G. and A. Gopalakrishnan. (eds.). Endemic Fish Diversity of Western Ghats. NBFGR-NATP Publication. National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow, U.P., India. 1, 347 p.
Weliange, W.S. and U.S. Amarasinghe (2007) Relationship between body shape and food habits of fish from three reservoirs of Sri Lanka. Asian Fish. Sci. 20:257-270.
Ali, A.S., L.A. Jawad and A.A. Saad (2015) Confirmation of the presence of the Indian stinging catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch, 1794) (Heteropneustidae) in Syrian inland waters. J. Appl. Ichthyol. 31(1):1-3.
Renjithkumar, C.R., K. Roshni and K. Ranjeet (2021) Length-weight relations of 14 fish species (Actinopterygii) from the Chalakudy River, Western Ghats, India. Acta Ichthyol. Piscat. 51(3):263-265. DOI: 10.3897/aiep.51.65713
Comments On Heteropneustes fossilis