First Record of Striped Catfish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (Sauvage, 1878) (Pisces: Pangasiidae) from Inland Waters of Iraq

Abstract

Two specimens of catfish were recorded for the first time from two different natural waters in Iraq. The first specimen was 67.7 mm. in total length, collected during a study on fish parasites of Ibn Najim marsh in the middle of Iraq during 2009. The second specimen was 312 mm in total length, captured during a survey on fishes of Shatt Al-Basrah canal south of Iraq in 2011. Twelve local aquarium pangasiids (Imported from the Philippines) were examined for morphometric and meristic characteristics for comparison. The results indicated that the aquarium specimens are closely allied to the wild specimens, all were identical with the genus Pangasianodon. The studied fish had characters share with P. hypophthalmus (Sauvage, 1878). The new occurrence of the striped catfish in Iraq, might be due to aquarium escape.