Wallago attu (Thai: ปลาเค้าขาว) is a species of catfish in the family Siluridae, or "sheatfishes". The fish is commonly known by its genus name, wallago. Found in large rivers and lakes, it can reach 2.4 m (8 feet) total length. This south Asian fish is found from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan to Vietnam and Indonesia, and is also reported from Afghanistan.

The name

In Indonesia and Malaysia, the wallago is known as "Ikan Tapah," and this name is the origin of the name of a Malaysian town, Tapah. It is also known as Wallagonia attu, Boal Fish etc. In Bengal and Assam, it is known as Boal and Borali,Attu walah, in Manipur it is commonly known by its local name "Sareng" or Valah in Malayalam respectively.

Aggressiveness

It's common to find huge frogs and fishes inside its stomach, when cut for cooking. It has been claimed that in some areas of Thailand the natives fear the species because of its believed habit of eating small ducks, dogs, and small children. It is thought the Tapah became this aggressive due to natives laying to rest their dead in the water. The catfish would then see this as a ready supply of food.^[1]

Spawning

Just like salmon, this fish do their annual upstream journey to lay their eggs during the monsoon season before returning to the deeper part of the river for the rest of the year. This is the time they fall prey to the local fishermen who set a special fish net across the river to trap the homecoming school. It was a common story amongst local Iban native of Sarawak that they speared several fishes weighing more than 50 kg each.

Curse

Following to some folklore in Malaysia, the descendant of a person called Tok Kaduk cannot eat and touch the fish because the legend says that a long time ago Tok Kaduk caught this Tapah and when he cut open its stomach, there was gold inside the fish so Tok Kaduk took the gold and stitched back the fish and released it back in to the river. From that time, if the descendant came in touch with the fish their skin would become red and itching until they go to Lambo near Bota in middle District of Perak, Malaysia to find the medicine. The medicine is remaining gold from the fish that has been kept to make the medicine for this disease. Some say that the gold needs to be soaked inside water and needs to be consumed by the patient and wash the areas that itch.

See also

• Tropical Storm Tapah (disambiguation) - Tropical Cyclones named for the Tapah.

References