Egypt country information

Common names: Bagar, Bayad, Forskals catfish
Occurrence: native
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: commercial | Ref: Bishai, H.M. and M.T. Khalil, 1997
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: live export: yes;
Comments: Known from the Nile River (Ref. 51686), including Lake Nasser (Ref. 3799), Lake Edkou (Ref. 31439), Lake Borollos (Ref. 4904), Lake Karoun (Ref. 4904) and only in the freshwater portion after the high Nile in Lake Menzaleh (Ref. 4904, Ref. 31439). Total production in 1996: 5826 tons, or about 9% of the total Nile catch (Ref. 51850).
National Checklist:
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/eg.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Ita, E.O., 1984
National Database:

Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Siluriformes (Catfish) > Bagridae (Bagrid catfishes)
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

Silver catfish, Black Nile catfish, Abou'chanap, ... more

Main reference

Risch, L.M. 1986. (Ref. 3236)
References | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 112 cm FL male/unsexed; (Ref. 43434); common length : 50.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 13851); max. published weight: 12.5 kg (Ref. 43434); max. reported age: 8 years (Ref. 51644)

Length at first maturity
L_m 41.2, range 29 - 34 cm

Environment

Freshwater; demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range ? - 60 m (Ref. 43507)

Climate / Range

Tropical; 22°C - 28°C (Ref. 12468), preferred ?

Distribution

Africa: Nile River, Lake Chad, Niger and Senegal River, Lakes Mobutu (Lake Albert) and Turkana. Reported from Sanaga River basin (Ref. 27691).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-12; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 13 - 15; Vertebrae: 48 - 53. Diagnosis: body rather elongate, 5-6 times longer than deep (Ref. 7324, 57125); occipital process 4-6 times longer than broad (Ref. 57125). 9-11 branched dorsal-fin rays (Ref. 57125), the first prolonged into short filaments (Ref. 13851, 31256, 57125). Longest filament comprised 3-4 times in standard length (Ref. 7324, 57125). Predorsal length 2.4-2.6 times in standard length; head width 1.7-2.2 times in head length; width of premaxillary tooth plate 2.5-2.8 times in head length; caudal-fin lobes often prolonged into short filaments; upper caudal-fin lobe comprised 2-3 times in standard length (Ref. 57125).

Found in lakes, swamps and rivers (Ref. 31256). Avoids salt water (Ref. 31439). Spends nearly the whole of the daylight hours in crevices of rocks and is therefor seldom seen (Ref. 51850). Lives and feeds on or near the bottom (Ref. 3034). Adults exclusively piscivorous (Ref. 31256). Preys on small fish, particularly Alestes spp. (Ref. 13851), or Chrysichthys auratus as in Lake Kainji (Ref. 3034); also feeds on insects, crustaceans, mollusks, vegetable matter (Ref. 28714). Efficiency of catching prey catfish is maximised by face to face attack, avoiding damage by dorsal and pectoral spines of the prey (Ref. 33614). There is some indication that the species comes to shallower water to breed (Ref. 43507). Spawning season extends from April to July (Ref. 51850). Parents build and guard the nest, which is like a flat disc with a central hole where the eggs are dropped (Ref. 51638). Size of the nest and the central hole depend on the fish size (Ref. 51638). Males become up to 7 years old, females 8 years (Ref. 51644). Mean sizes and weight of males are less than those of females from the same age (Ref. 51644, Ref. 51645). An important food fish. Flesh is good eating and of economic importance (Ref. 36900), commonly sold as food (Ref. 43521). Reputed to reach 100,000 g.

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Least Concern (LC)

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development

Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance

References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion

Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD₅₀ = 0.5005 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
4.0 ±0.2 se; Based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (tm=4-5; tmax=8; K=0.07-0.18; Fec=18,630-47,920)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
Moderate to high vulnerability (52 of 100)

Price category (Ref. 80766)
Unknown

Bagrus bajad (Forsskål, 1775)