Iridescent shark
species of shark catfish of family Pangasiidae
The iridescent shark or iridescent shark catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) is a species of shark catfish (family Pangasiidae) native to the rivers of Southeast Asia. Despite its name, it is not a real shark. It is found in the Mekong basin as well as the Chao Phraya River, and is heavily cultivated for food.
The meat is often marketed under the common name swai (from Thai สวาย). It has also been introduced into other river basins as a food source, and its striking appearance and iridescence have made it popular with fishkeeping hobbyists, among whom it is also known as the Siamese shark catfish or sutchi catfish. The swai's omnivorous diet consists of crustaceans, other fish, and plant matter.
Names
The fish is named for the glow or iridescence exhibited in juveniles, as well as the shark-like appearance of this and other shark catfish.
Description
Adults reach up to 130 cm (4.3 ft) in length and can weigh up to a maximum of 44 kg (97 lb). They have a shiny, iridescent color that gives these fish their name. However, large adults are uniformly grey.
“Iridescent shark” enters the record as species of shark catfish of family Pangasiidae. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Iridescent, shark and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q312296. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Iridescent shark” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.