AquaticRepublic.com - Sperata aor (Bagridae) All Fishes

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Adult
Close-up of head
Adult
Tooth patch
Manu River, Kailashahar, Tripura, India
Manu River, Kailashahar, Tripura, India

All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Sperata aor** (Hamilton, 1822)
Common Names	Indian Shovelnose Catfish Long-whiskered Catfish
Type Locality	Rivers of Bengal and upper parts of Gangetic estuaries, India.
Synonym(s)	Aoria aor, Aorichthys aor, Macrones aor, Mystus aor, Orichthys aor, Pimelodus aor
Pronunciation	ss per AT ah - arr
Etymology	The genus is named after MA Sperat. The specific epithet is the Bengali name of the fish (aar).
Species Information
Size	1800mm or 70.9" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Sperata is easily distinguished from other bagrids in having a long, depressed head and (often) a dark spot at the posterior base of the adipose fin.
Sexing	Males are more slender, slightly shorter, and have an elongate genital papilla in front of the anal fin.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Asia: Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and upper Myanmar. Indian waters, North Eastern India Waters, Padma, Ganges (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2011.
pH	6.0 - 7.0
Temperature	20.0-25.0°C or 68-77°F (Show species within this range)
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Readily feeds on live or frozen foods, smaller fishes, shrimps, and prepared foods such as pellets. User data.
Furniture	Provide ample driftwood for shelter.
Compatibility	Not suitable with smaller tankmates, as it will eat them. Territorial with conspecifics, so best kept alone.
Breeding	Not reported in aquaria. Spawning is said to occur before the beginning of the southwest monsoon season in India. Individuals spawn at irregular intervals throughout the reproductive season and females can produce more than 1.2 million ova. It has been suggested that the males incubate the eggs in highly vascularized, spongy skin on the ventral surface of their abdomen and then feed the newly hatched fry with a milky-white exudate from the abdominal wall.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges, pp 205, 379, Pl. 20 (fig. 68).
Registered Keepers	There is no registered keeper.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There is no wish to keep this species.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 4 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
Forum BBCode

	Look up S. aor on PlanetCatfish.com
	Look up S. aor on Fishbase
	Look up S. aor on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up S. aor on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.8.76.169
Last Update	2024 Nov 23 00:30 (species record created: 2001 Apr 21 00:00)