{{Short description|Species of fish}} {{Speciesbox | image = Pla sawai89.jpg | image_caption = ''Pangasius pangasius'' in Thailand | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn">{{Cite journal | author = Pal, M. | title = ''Pangasius pangasius'' | journal = The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species | volume = 2010 | page = e.T166404A6201771 | publisher = IUCN | date = 2010 | url = http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/166404/0 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T166404A6201771.en | access-date = 15 January 2018| doi-access = free }}</ref> | taxon = Pangasius pangasius | authority = (Hamilton, 1822) | synonyms={{Specieslist |Pangasius buchanani|(Valenciennes, 1840)

|Pimelodus pangasius|Hamilton, 1822

|Pangasius pangasius pangasius|(Hamilton, 1822)

|Pachypterus luridus|Swainson, 1839

|Pangasius pangasius godavarii|David, 1962

|Pangasius pangasius upiensis|Srivastava, 1968

}} }}

'''''Pangasius pangasius''''', the '''Pangas catfish''', is a species of shark catfish native to fresh and brackish waters of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. This species grows to a standard length of 150 to 300 centimetres and is a commercially important fish.

==Taxonomy== ''Pangasius pangasius'' was first described by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in 1822. It is classified as a shark catfish (a member of the Pangasiidae family) in the class Actinopterygii.<ref name="irmng">{{cite web |title=Pangasius pangasius (Hamilton, 1822) |website=IRMNG |url=https://www.irmng.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=10154026 |access-date=16 July 2025}}</ref> It has been referred to by several synonyms, including ''Pangasius pangasius pangasius'', ''Pimelodus pangasius'', ''Pangasius pangasius upiensis'', ''Pangasius pangasius godavarii'', and ''Pangasius buchanani''.<ref name="col">{{cite web |title=Pangasius pangasius (Hamilton, 1822) |website=Catalogue of Life |url=https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/75KT8 |access-date=16 July 2025}}</ref>

==Description== ''P. pangasius'' grows to a maximum of 150<ref name="iucn" /> to 300 cm in standard length. The dorsal fin has two spines and seven soft rays. The anal fin has 29–32 soft rays. It has small eyes and yellow caudal fins.<ref name="fishbase">{{FishBase |genus= Pangasius|species= pangasius| month = February | year = 2012}}</ref>

==Distribution== Tolerant of fresh water and brackish water, this species is found in rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. It has also been reported in Nepal. Formerly believed to inhabit Myanmar and Southeast Asia, these reports were misidentifications of other species.<ref name="iucn" />

==Ecology== ''P. pangasius'' breeds in estuaries during the rainy season. It consumes plants, shrimps, mollusks, and worms.<ref name="iucn" />

Though this species is abundant in most of its range, its population seems to be declining, especially in the Ganges River and Brahmaputra River. Its decline is a result of overfishing, as it is taken both for food and for sport fishing. Damming and pollution are additional threats to the population. Despite these threats and the signs of population decline, it is assessed as a least concern species on the IUCN Red List due to its continued robust population size.<ref name="iucn" />

This species is farmed in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.<ref name="fishbase" />

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1682886}} {{Authority control}}

Category:Pangasiidae Category:Catfish of Asia Category:Fish of Bangladesh Category:Fish of Myanmar Category:Freshwater fish of India Category:Fish of Pakistan Category:Fish described in 1822 Category:Fish of Nepal