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Pangasius macronema (a catfish, no common name) Ecological Risk Screening Summary

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, April 2012 Revised, August 2018

Web Version, 5/1/2020

Organism Type: Fish

Overall Risk Assessment Category: Uncertain

Image: W. J. Rainboth, FAO. Licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC 3.0. Available:

http://www.fishbase.se/photos/PicturesSummary.php?StartRow=2&ID=14194&what=species&T

otRec=4. (August 23, 2018).

1 Native Range and Status in the United States Native Range From Froese and Pauly (2018):

“[In Cambodia:] Known from the Mekong basin [Hill and Hill 1994] and Lake Tonle Sap near

Siem Reap [Motomura et al. 2002]. May be found in Tonle Sap river [sic] [Cambodian National

Mekong Committee 1998]. […] Generally present throughout the year in varying abundance,

more abundant during the migration period [Sokheng et al. 1999]. Reported to migrate upstream

from November to January/February and downstream in May-June [Sokheng et al. 1999].”

“[In Indonesia:] Known from Borneo and Java [Kottelat et al. 1993]. Found in the Kapuas Lakes

area in Kalimantan Barat, Borneo [Kottelat and Widjanarti 2005]. Recorded from Danau

Sentarum National Park in the Kapuas basin, Kalimantan Barat [Kottelat and Widjanarti 2005].”

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“[In Laos:] Known from the Mekong basin [Kottelat 2001]. Occurs in the Khone Falls in the

Mekong basin [Hill and Hill 1994] and Ban Hang Khone at Don Khone, 3 km below the fall line

of the great waterfalls of the Mekong basin at Lee Pee [Roberts 1993]. Collected from

Hatdokkeo, Tha Bo, Sai Fong, Sithan Tay, Hatsalao and Pathoun Phon of the Mekong basin

[Taki 1974]. […] It goes only as far upstream as Boong Pba Jook (across from Hang Khone)

before turning back and going up the channel to Hoo Sahong [Roberts and Baird 1995]. […]

Fishers in Xayabury Province reported that it migrates downstream in October-November

[Sokheng et al. 1999]. Undertakes upstream migration during the wet season in May-June

through Hoo Som Yai at the Great Fault Line on the Mekong River, Champassack Province

[Singhanouvong et al. 1996].”

“[In Thailand:] Found in Mekong and Chao Phraya basins [Vidthayanon et al. 1997]; also from

Nakhon Sawan, Kemarat (Ubon Ratchathani), Lop Buri river, Pa Sak river [sic] (Sara Buri)

[Monkolprasit et al. 1997].”

“[In Vietnam:] Found in Mekong delta [Khoa and Huong 1993]. Generally occurs throughout the

year in varying abundance, more abundant during the migration period [Sokheng et al. 1999].”

Status in the United States No records of Pangasius macronema in the wild or in trade in the United States were found.

Means of Introductions in the United States No records of Pangasius macronema in the wild in the United States were found.

Remarks No additional remarks.

2 Biology and Ecology Taxonomic Hierarchy and Taxonomic Standing From Eschmeyer et al. (2018), Pangasius macronema Bleeker 1850 is the current valid name for

this species; it is also the original name.

From ITIS (2018):

Kingdom Animalia

Subkingdom Bilateria

Infrakingdom Deuterostomia

Phylum Chordata

Subphylum Vertebrata

Infraphylum Gnathostomata

Superclass Actinopterygii

Class Teleostei

Superorder Ostariophysi

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Order Siluriformes

Family Pangasiidae

Genus Pangasius

Species Pangasius macronema Bleeker, 1851

Size, Weight, and Age Range From Froese and Pauly (2018):

“Max length : 30.0 cm SL male/unsexed; [Taki 1974]”

Environment From Froese and Pauly (2018):

“Freshwater; benthopelagic; potamodromous [Riede 2004].”

Climate From Froese and Pauly (2018):

“Tropical”

Distribution Outside the United States Native From Froese and Pauly (2018):

“[In Cambodia:] Known from the Mekong basin [Hill and Hill 1994] and Lake Tonle Sap near

Siem Reap [Motomura et al. 2002]. May be found in Tonle Sap river [sic] [Cambodian National

Mekong Committee 1998]. […] Generally present throughout the year in varying abundance,

more abundant during the migration period [Sokheng et al. 1999]. Reported to migrate upstream

from November to January/February and downstream in May-June [Sokheng et al. 1999].”

“[In Indonesia:] Known from Borneo and Java [Kottelat et al. 1993]. Found in the Kapuas Lakes

area in Kalimantan Barat, Borneo [Kottelat and Widjanarti 2005]. Recorded from Danau

Sentarum National Park in the Kapuas basin, Kalimantan Barat [Kottelat and Widjanarti 2005].”

“[In Laos:] Known from the Mekong basin [Kottelat 2001]. Occurs in the Khone Falls in the

Mekong basin [Hill and Hill 1994] and Ban Hang Khone at Don Khone, 3 km below the fall line

of the great waterfalls of the Mekong basin at Lee Pee [Roberts 1993]. Collected from

Hatdokkeo, Tha Bo, Sai Fong, Sithan Tay, Hatsalao and Pathoun Phon of the Mekong basin

[Taki 1974]. […] It goes only as far upstream as Boong Pba Jook (across from Hang Khone)

before turning back and going up the channel to Hoo Sahong [Roberts and Baird 1995]. […]

Fishers in Xayabury Province reported that it migrates downstream in October-November

[Sokheng et al. 1999]. Undertakes upstream migration during the wet season in May-June

through Hoo Som Yai at the Great Fault Line on the Mekong River, Champassack Province

[Singhanouvong et al. 1996].”

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“[In Thailand:] Found in Mekong and Chao Phraya basins [Vidthayanon et al. 1997]; also from

Nakhon Sawan, Kemarat (Ubon Ratchathani), Lop Buri river, Pa Sak river [sic] (Sara Buri)

[Monkolprasit et al. 1997].”

“[In Vietnam:] Found in Mekong delta [Khoa and Huong 1993]. Generally occurs throughout the

year in varying abundance, more abundant during the migration period [Sokheng et al. 1999].”

Introduced No records of Pangasius macronema introductions were found.

Means of Introduction Outside the United States No records of Pangasius macronema introductions were found.

Short Description From Froese and Pauly (2018):

“Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7; Anal soft rays: 30 - 38. Relatively deep body;

lacks mid-lateral and abdominal stripes; lacks black spot at dorsal-fin origin; teeth on roof of

mouth in 4 separate patches (2 vomerine and 3 palatine patches); […].”

From Gustiano and Pouyaud (2005):

“Diagnosis: eye large (21.9-52% HL[head length]), maxillary barbel very long reaching the tip

of pectoral fin mandibular barbel 76.8-176.5% HL, maxillary barbel always reaching pectoral fin

base (100.5-203.9% HL), gill rakers elongated and slender, 27-46 on the first branchial arch.”

Biology From Froese and Pauly (2018):

“Occurs in rivers, lakes and reservoirs [Kottelat 2001]. Found in rapids [Singhanouvong et al.

1996]. Forms large schools. Moves into tributary streams and flooded forests along with many

species of cyprinids and other species of visually oriented catfishes such as P. pleurotaenia when

water transparency decreases. Feeds on mollusks and chironomid insects [Taki 1978], small fish

and prawns [Kottelat and Widjanarti 2005].”

“A strongly migratory fish species in the Khone area that does not go to Tam Ee Daeng, may be

because it migrates upstream at a time when waters are low (April-early May) than when other

species migrate.”

From Gustiano and Pouyaud (2005):

“Ecology: this species is omnivorous, feeding mainly on insect and small fruits Scavenger

feeding habit is also found (Vidthayanon, 1993).”

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From Jenkins et al. (2009):

“Migratory catfish like P. macronema rely on deep-water pools for critical protection during

migrations up the mainstream Mekong River. These catfishes move upstream at night, while

stopping to concentrate in deep-water pools during the day (Baird 2006).”

Human Uses From Froese and Pauly (2018):

“Marketed fresh [Rainboth 1996].”

“Fishermen used explosives to target this species on the Cambodian side of the border across

Ban Weun Kahm [Roberts and Baird 1995].”

“Among the most important species in the fisheries based on migrations in January-February and

May-June [Roberts 1993]. […] Villagers catch them in the deep pools near the mouth of Hoo

Sahong between Don Khone and Don Sadam [Roberts and Baird 1995].”

From Baird et al. (2001):

“In Lao PDR, P. macronema supports socioeconomically and culturally important household-

oriented fisheries in the Hou Sahong channel of the Khone Falls.”

“In 1998, we estimate that fishers from Hang Sadam village caught a total of 4,000 kg of

P. macronema from Hou Sahong. Between 23 April and 15 May 1999, fishers at Hang Sadam

caught a total of 5,572 kg of P. macronema from Hou Sahong.”

“Villagers themselves eat few P. macronema, although they consider it to be a good food fish.

Most fish are sold to consumers outside the villages. Traders buy fish in the villages and then

resell them in commercial centers such as Pakse and Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. The sale of

P. macronema provides a significant amount of income for the villagers of Hang Sadam.”

“Most importantly, since many families in Hang Sadam village have no rice paddy farmland, or

only a small amount of land, the fish they sell provides them with money to buy rice, thus

fulfilling an important food security function.”

Diseases No records of OIE-reportable diseases (OIE 2020) were found.

From Froese and Pauly (2018):

“Dactylogyrus Gill Flukes Disease, Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)”

Lerssutthichawal and Hong (2005) list Pangasius macronema as a host for Thaparocleidus spp.

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Threat to Humans From Froese and Pauly (2018):

“Harmless”

3 Impacts of Introductions No records of Pangasius macronema introductions were found; therefore, there is no information

on impacts of introduction.

4 History of Invasiveness No records of Pangasius macronema introductions were found; therefore, the history of

invasiveness is no known nonnative population.

5 Global Distribution

Figure 1. Known global distribution of Pangasius macronema. Locations are in Thailand, Laos,

Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia (island of Borneo). Map from GBIF Secretariat (2018). The

location in the ocean east of Vietnam was not used to select source points for the climate match.

The information in the observation record on regarding the locality of the collection does not

match the coordinates in the record (GBIF Secretariat 2018).

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Figure 2. Additional known distribution of Pangasius macronema. Locations are in Thailand,

Cambodia, Laos, and Malaysia (island of Borneo). Map created with data from Froese and Pauly

(2018), basemap from ArcGIS® by Esri (www.esri.com).

Pangasius macronema has also been reported from the islands of Java and Sumatra (Froese and

Pauly 2018) but no georeferenced observations were available to use as source points for the

climate match.

6 Distribution Within the United States No records of Pangasius macronema in the wild in the United States were found.

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7 Climate Matching Summary of Climate Matching Analysis The climate match for Pangasius macronema was low across most of the contiguous United

States. There were areas of medium match in southern Texas and Florida. The Climate 6 score

(Sanders et al. 2018; 16 climate variables; Euclidean distance) for contiguous United States was

0.001, low (scores below 0.005 are considered low). All States had low individual climate

scores, except for Texas, which had a medium score.

Figure 3. RAMP (Sanders et al. 2018) source map showing weather stations in Southeast Asia

selected as source locations (red; Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia) and

non-source locations (gray) for Pangasius macronema climate matching. Source locations from

Froese and Pauly (2018) and GBIF Secretariat (2018). Selected source locations are within 100

km of one or more species occurrences and do not necessarily represent the locations of

occurrences themselves.

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Figure 4. Map of RAMP (Sanders et al. 2018) climate matches for Pangasius macronema in the

contiguous United States based on source locations reported by Froese and Pauly (2018) and

GBIF Secretariat (2018). Counts of climate match scores are tabulated on the left.

0/Blue = Lowest match, 10/Red = Highest match.

The High, Medium, and Low Climate match Categories are based on the following table:

Climate 6:

(Count of target points with climate scores 6-10)/

(Count of all target points)

Overall

Climate Match

Category

0.000≤X≤0.005 Low

0.005<X<0.103 Medium

≥0.103 High

8 Certainty of Assessment The certainty of assessment for Pangasius macronema is low. There is some quality ecological

and biological information available for this species. No records of introduction were found;

therefore, there is no information on impacts to evaluate. While the range of the species seems to

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be well documented, georeferenced observations are not available for some areas. The source

points used in the climate match are not fully representative of the entire range of the species.

9 Risk Assessment Summary of Risk to the Contiguous United States Pangasius macronema is a species of catfish native to Southeast Asia. It is found in the Mekong

and Tonle Sap river basins in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, as well as on the islands

of Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. P. macronema is one of the main fisheries along the lower

Mekong, providing economic security to villages in that area. The history of invasiveness is no

known nonnative population. No records of introduction were found. Therefore, there is no

information on impacts of introduction. No evidence of trade of the species outside its native

range was found. The climate match was low. There were areas of medium match in southern

Texas and Florida. Texas had a medium individual climate score. The certainty of assessment is

low. The overall risk assessment category is uncertain.

Assessment Elements History of Invasiveness (Sec. 4): No Known Nonnative Population

Overall Climate Match Category (Sec. 7): Low

Certainty of Assessment (Sec. 8): Low

Remarks/Important additional information: No additional information

Overall Risk Assessment Category: Uncertain

10 Literature Cited Note: The following references were accessed for this ERSS. References cited within quoted

text but not accessed are included below in Section 11.

Baird I, Hogan Z, Phylaivanh B, Moyle P. 2001. A communal fishery for the migratory catfish

Pangasius macronema in the Mekong River. Asian Fisheries Science 14:25–41.

Eschmeyer WN, Fricke R, van der Laan R, editors. 2018. Catalog of fishes: genera, species,

references. Available:

http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp

(August 2018).

Froese R, Pauly D, editors. 2018. Pangasius macronema Bleeker, 1850. FishBase. Available:

http://www.fishbase.se/summary/Pangasius-macronema.html (August 2018).

Gustiano R, Pouyaud L. 2005. Riverine catfishes of Kalimantan, Pangasiidae: diagnosis,

distribution, and ecology. Indonesian Fisheries Research Journal 11:59–66.

GBIF Secretariat. 2018. GBIF backbone taxonomy: Pangasius macronema Bleeker, 1851.

Copenhagen: Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Available:

https://www.gbif.org/species/5202451 (August 2018).

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[ITIS] Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 2018. Pangasius macronema Bleeker, 1851.

Reston, Virginia: Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Available:

https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=681

705#null (August 2018).

Jenkins A, Kullander FF, Tan HH. 2009. Pangasius macronema. The IUCN Red List of

Threatened Species 2009: e.T169550A6646168. Available:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/169550/0 (August 2018)

Lerssutthichawal T, Hong SLL. 2005. Diversity of freshwater monogeneans from siluriform

fishes of Thailand. Pages 217–225 in Walker P, Lester R, Bondad-Reantaso MG, editors.

Diseases in Asian Aquaculture V. Manila, Philippines: Asian Fisheries Society, Fish

Health Section.

[OIE] World Organisation for Animal Health. 2020. OIE-listed diseases, infections and

infestations in force in 2020. Available: http://www.oie.int/animal-health-in-the-

world/oie-listed-diseases-2020/ (April 2020).

Sanders S, Castiglione C, Hoff M. 2018. Risk Assessment Mapping Program: RAMP. Version

3.1. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

11 Literature Cited in Quoted Material Note: The following references are cited within quoted text within this ERSS, but were not

accessed for its preparation. They are included here to provide the reader with more

information.

Baird IG. 2006. Strength in diversity: fish sanctuaries and deep-water pools in Lao PDR.

Fisheries Management & Ecology 13:1–8.

Cambodian National Mekong Committee. 1998. Natural resources-based development strategy

for the Tonlé Sap area, Cambodia. Final report, CMB/95/003. Sectoral Studies, volume 2,

part b.

Hill MT, Hill SA. 1994. Fisheries ecology and hydropower in the lower Mekong River: an

evaluation of run-of-the-river projects. Bangkok, Thailand: Mekong Secretariat.

Khoa TT, Huong TTT. 1993. Dinh Loai Cá Nuóc Ngot Vùng Dông Bang Sông Cuu Long. Khoa

Thuy San Truong Dai Hoc Can Tho.

Kottelat M. 2001. Fishes of Laos. Colombo 5, Sri Lanka: WHT Publications.

Kottelat M, Whitten AJ, Kartikasari SN, Wirjoatmodjo S. 1993. Freshwater fishes of Western

Indonesia and Sulawesi. Hong Kong: Periplus Editions.

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Kottelat M, Widjanarti E. 2005. The fishes of Danau Sentarum National Park and the Kapuas

Lakes area, Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement

13:139–173.

Monkolprasit S, Sontirat S, Vimollohakarn S, Songsirikul T. 1997. Checklist of fishes in

Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand: Office of Environmental Policy and Planning.

Motomura H, Tsukawaki S, Kamiya T. 2002. A preliminary survey of the fishes of Lake Tonle

Sap near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Bulletin of the National Science Museum 28:233–246.

Rainboth WJ. 1996. Fishes of the Cambodian Mekong. FAO species identification field guide for

fishery purposes. FAO, Rome.

Riede K. 2004. Global register of migratory species - from global to regional scales. Final

Report, R&D-Projekt 808 05 081. Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Bonn.

Roberts TR. 1993. Artisanal fisheries and fish ecology below the great waterfalls of the Mekong

River in southern Laos. Natural History Bulletin Siam Society 41:31–62.

Roberts TR, Baird IG. 1995. Traditional fisheries and fish ecology on the Mekong River at

Khone waterfalls in southern Laos. Natural History Bulletin Siam. Society 43:219–262.

Singhanouvong D, Soulignavong C, Vonghachak K, Saadsy B, Warren TJ. 1996. The main wet-

season migration through Hoo Som Yai, a steep-gradient channel at the great fault line on

the Mekong River, Champassack Province, Southern Lao PDR. Indigenous Fishery

Development Project, Fisheries Ecology Technical Report 4. Technical Section, Dept. of

Livestock-Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture-Forestry, Lao PDR.

Sokheng C, Chhea CK, Viravong S, Bouakhamvongsa K, Suntornratana U, Yoorong N, Tung

NT, Bao TQ, Poulsen AF, Jørgensen JV. 1999. Fish migrations and spawning habits in

the Mekong mainstream: a survey using local knowledge (basin-wide). Assessment of

Mekong fisheries: Fish Migrations and Spawning and the Impact of Water Management

Project. AMFP Report 2/99. Vientiane, Lao P.D.R.

Taki Y. 1974. Fishes of the Lao Mekong Basin. United States Agency for International

Development Mission to Laos Agriculture Division.

Taki Y. 1978. An analytical study of the fish fauna of the Mekong basin as a biological

production system in nature. Tokyo: Research Institute of Evolutionary Biology Special

Publications 1.

Vidthayanon. 1993. [Source did not provide full citation for this reference.]

Vidthayanon C, Karnasuta J, Nabhitabhata J. 1997. Diversity of freshwater fishes in Thailand.

Bangkok, Thailand: Office of Environmental Policy and Planning.