Basa
Kingdom
Phylum
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Pangasius bocourti
Length
120
47
cminch
cm inch 

Basa (Pangasius bocourti) is a species of catfish in the family Pangasiidae. Basa are native to the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins in Mainland Southeast Asia. These fish are important as a food source, and also on the international market. They are often labelled in North America and Australia as "basa fish", "swai", or "bocourti". In the UK all species of Pangasius may legally be described as "river cobbler", "cobbler", "basa", "pangasius", "panga", or any of these with the addition of "catfish". In the rest of Europe, these fish are commonly marketed as "pangasius" or "panga". In Asian markets, names for basa include "Pacific dory" and "patin". Other related shark catfish may occasionally be incorrectly labeled as basa fish, including P. hypophthalmus (iridescent shark) and P. pangasius (yellowtail catfish).

Appearance

The body of the basa is stout and heavy. The rounded head is broader than it is long, with the blunt snout having a white band on its muzzle. This species grows to a maximum length of 120 centimetres (47 in).

Geography

Continents
Subcontinents
Regions Regions
Biogeographical realms

Habits and Lifestyle

Basa fish feed on plants. They spawn at the onset of flood season and the young are first seen in June, averaging about 5 centimetres (2.0 in) by mid-June.

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior

References

1. Basa Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basa_(fish)
2. Basa on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/180848/1669669

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