Silurus biwaensis

Silurus biwaensis, the giant Lake Biwa catfish or Biwako-o'namazu (ビワコオオナマズ (Japan)), is a large predatory catfish species endemic to Lake Biwa in Japan.

Giant Lake Biwa catfish
Giant Lake Biwa Catfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Siluridae
Genus: Silurus
Species:
S. biwaensis
Binomial name
Silurus biwaensis
Tomoda, 1961

Description

The giant Lake Biwa catfish is very similar to wels catfish, which it is closely related to. It has an elongated cylindrical body and can reach up to 1.18 m (3 ft 10 in) in length and weigh as much as 17 kg (37 lb).[1] The top of the body is dark grey to black in colour while the underside is a pale, whitish colour.

Lifecycle

They prey on fish and frogs which live in the lake. S. biwaensis is the largest predatory fish in Lake Biwa.[2] Using telemetry methods researchers tried to explain the migratory behavior of the species. It was found that the fish are more or less site-faithful and mostly stay close to their spawning grounds.[3] Other studies have shown that the sub-populations of the lake hardly mix.[4]

Relationship to humans

Some fishermen believe that the catfish change their behavior and become very active when an earthquake is imminent.[5] In Japanese mythology, a giant catfish named Namazu causes earthquakes as he moves below the earth's surface.[6]

References
  1. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). "Silurus biwaensis" in FishBase. April 2013 version.
  2. "Lake Biwa Facts". Lake Biwa Museum. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  3. Takai, N.; Sakamoto, W.; Maehata, M.; Arai, N.; Kitagawa, T.; Mitsunaga, Y. (1997). "Settlement characteristics and habitats use of Lake Biwa catfish Silurus biwaensis measured by ultrasonic telemetry". Fisheries Science. 63 (2): 181–187. doi:10.2331/fishsci.63.181. ISSN 0919-9268. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  4. Takai, Noriyuki; Sakamoto, Wataru (1 August 1999). "Identification of local populations of Lake Biwa catfish in Japan on the basis of δ13C and δ15N analyses". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 77 (2): 258–266. doi:10.1139/z98-210.
  5. The Best Earthquake Predictor is a Catfish.
  6. Ashkenazi, Michael (2003). Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Santa Barbara (Calif.): ABC-CLIO. p. 220. ISBN 1576074676.
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