Bronze featherback
The bronze featherback (Notopterus notopterus; Assamese: কান্ধুলি kandhuli, Bengali: ফলি, Thai: ปลาสลาด, ปลาฉลาด, ปลาตอง, Vietnamese: Cá thát lát, Burmese: ငါးဖယ်) is a fish in family Notopteridae found in South and Southeast Asia. Although primarily found in fresh water, it has been known to enter brackish water.[2] At present it is the only member of its genus, but as currently defined it is likely a species complex.[1]
Bronze featherback | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Family: | |
Genus: | Notopterus Lacépède, 1800 |
Species: | N. notopterus |
Binomial name | |
Notopterus notopterus (Pallas, 1769) | |
Synonyms | |
Notopterus bontianus Valenciennes, 1848 |
Description
![](../I/Mystus_badgee.jpg.webp)
Young specimens are a dark bronze-like color that becomes lighter with age. The species reaches a length of up to 60 cm (24 in).[2]
The bronze featherback can easily be kept in an aquarium. Popular as food, this fish also appears in a stamp of the Kingdom of Laos.[3]
As food
This fish is one of the fish species that has been used as food in Southeast Asia since ancient times.[4] It is an important food item in Laos, Indonesia, and Thailand. It is preserved and prepared in different ways. Nam phrik pla salat pon (น้ำพริกปลาสลาดป่น) is a variety of nam phrik with minced roasted pla salat eaten along with raw vegetables. It is popular in Khorat.[5]
Although much smaller in size, it is similar in appearance to the Chitala ornata, another important fish in Thai cuisine.
![]() Dried and smoked Pla salat, a Khorat specialty |
![]() Ready-to-eat nam phrik pla salat pon |
See also
References
- IUCN - Notopterus notopterus
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). "Notopterus notopterus" in FishBase. May 2014 version.
- WoRMS - Notopterus notopterus
- Charles Higham, A. Kijnga ed. The Origins of the Civilization of Angkor: Volume VI The Iron Age. page 43. IV 'The Fish Remains'
- Nam phrik pla salat pon recipe