Netuma thalassina (Rüppell, 1837)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The giant catfish (Netuma thalassina), also known as the giant sea catfish, giant salmon catfish, giant marine-catfish, or the khagga, is a species of catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Eduard Rüppell in 1837, originally under the genus Bagrus. It inhabits estuaries and occasionally freshwater bodies, in Japan, Australia, Polynesia, southern Vietnam in the Mekong Delta, the Red Sea and the northwestern Indian Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 10 to 195 m (30 to 640 ft). It reaches a maximum total length of 185 cm (73 in), but usually reaches a TL of 70 cm (28 in).
The diet of the giant catfish includes crustaceans such as crabs, shrimp, prawns and stomatopods; worms, finfish, cephalopods, sea cucumbers, and mollusks. It spawns between April and August.
The giant catfish is harvested commercially and recreationally.
Wikipedia contributors, Giant catfish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:20:31.424208+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Netuma thalassina (Rüppell, 1837)
- Name authority
- (Rüppell, 1837)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Family
- Ariidae
- Genus
- Netuma
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderSiluriformes
- familyAriidae Bleeker, 1858
- subfamilyAriinae Bleeker, 1858
- genusNetuma Bleeker, 1858
- speciesNetuma thalassina (Rüppell, 1837)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Netuma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Netuma bilineata (Valenciennes, 1840) | AriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Tachysurus serratus (Day, 1877) (Day, 1877) | synonym |
| Bagrus carchariorhijnchos Bleeker, 1846 Bleeker, 1846 | synonym |
| Bagrus netuma Valenciennes, 1840 Valenciennes, 1840 | synonym |
| Bagrus thalassinus Rüppell, 1837 Rüppell, 1837 | synonym |
| Arius serratus Day, 1877 Day, 1877 | synonym |
| Netuna thalassina (Rüppell, 1837) (Rüppell, 1837) | synonym |
| Tachysurus thalassinus (Rüppell, 1837) (Rüppell, 1837) | synonym |
| Netuma thalassina jacksonensis Whitley, 1941 Whitley, 1941 | synonym |
| Ariodes aeneus Sauvage, 1883 Sauvage, 1883 | synonym |
| Bagrus laevigatus Valenciennes, 1840 Valenciennes, 1840 | synonym |
| Bagrus carchariorhynchos Bleeker, 1846 Bleeker, 1846 | synonym |
| Netuma thalassinus (Rüppell, 1837) (Rüppell, 1837) | synonym |
| Arius nasutus Valenciennes, 1840 Valenciennes, 1840 | synonym |
| Arius thalassinus (Rüppell, 1837) (Rüppell, 1837) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=281745 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:479RD. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.