Bagarius yarrelli

Bagarius yarrelli, also known as the giant devil catfish or goonch, is a very large species of catfish in the genus Bagarius found in rivers in the Indian subcontinent.[2] It is possibly also found in Southeast Asia, but this may involve a separate species.[1]

Bagarius yarrelli
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Sisoridae
Genus: Bagarius
Species:
B. yarrelli
Binomial name
Bagarius yarrelli
(Sykes, 1839)
Synonyms
  • Pimelodus yarrelli Sykes, 1839

Distribution and habitat

It is found in large rivers, including rivers with fast current, particularly in deeper pools near faster current, but never in small streams.[2] It is found in the Indian Subcontinent. There are also populations in Southeast Asia (as far south as Sumatra and Borneo), but this may involve a separate species.[1]

Description

This fish reaches up to 2 m (6.6 ft) in length,[2] and weighs over 200 pounds. It may be the largest species in the genus. The related B. bagarius, another species where there is considerable taxonomic confusion, has – perhaps in error – been reported as reaching the same size as B. yarrelli,[3] while others consider B. bagarius to be a dwarf species that only reaches about 20 cm (7.9 in).[1]

The Kali River goonch attacks were a series of fatal attacks on humans claimed to be perpetrated by man-eating goonch catfish in three villages on the banks of the Kali River in India, between 1998 and 2007. These attacks were made famous by Jeremy Wade of River Monsters.

References
  1. Ng, H.H. (2020). "Bagarius yarrelli". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T166503A60588519. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). "Bagarius yarrelli" in FishBase. January 2012 version.
  3. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). "Bagarius bagarius" in FishBase. January 2012 version.


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