Bagarius yarrelli (Sykes, 1839)
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
Bagarius yarrelli, also known as the goonch catfish, giant devil catfish, or simply goonch, is a very large species of catfish in the genus Bagarius found in rivers in the Indian subcontinent. The species reaches up to 2 m (6.6 ft) in length. It may be synonymous with B. bagarius.
Wikipedia contributors, Bagarius yarrelli; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:07:33.548143+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Bagarius yarrelli (Sykes, 1839)
- Name authority
- (Sykes, 1839)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Family
- Sisoridae
- Genus
- Bagarius
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · 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
- familySisoridae Bleeker, 1858
- subfamilySisorinae Bleeker, 1858
- genusBagarius Bleeker, 1853
- speciesBagarius yarrelli (Sykes, 1839)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Bagarius. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Bagarius vegrandis Ng & Kottelat, 2021 | SisoridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bagarius rutilus Ng & Kottelat, 2000 | SisoridaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Bagarius lica Volz, 1903 Volz, 1903 | synonym |
| Bagarius nieuwenhuisii Popta, 1904 Popta, 1904 | synonym |
| Bagarius yarrellii (Sykes, 1839) (Sykes, 1839) | synonym |
| Pimelodus carnaticus Jerdon, 1849 Jerdon, 1849 | synonym |
| Bagrus yarrelli Sykes, 1839 Sykes, 1839 | 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=1018581 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:KDCM. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.