Basa: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the basa lives – recorded in 2 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Pangasius bocourti
Group	Bony fish
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	2 countries
Continents	Asia
Class	Ray-finned fish
Order	Siluriformes
Family	Pangasiidae

Where does the basa live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the basa in 2 countries and territories across Asia. Wikidata gives its range as: Southeast Asia.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the basa endangered?

The basa’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the basa?

The basa (Pangasius bocourti) is a ray-finned fish in the order Siluriformes and the family Pangasiidae, genus Pangasius. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the basa

Basa (Pangasius bocourti), as it is commonly referred to, is a species of primarily freshwater-dwelling catfish in the shark-catfish family, Pangasiidae, native to the Mekong and Chao Phraya river basins of Mainland Southeast Asia. Economically, these fish are important as a regional food source, and are also prized on the international market. Outside Asia, such as in North America or Australia, they are often referred to as "basa fish" or "swai" or by their specific name, "bocourti". In the United Kingdom, all species of Pangasius may, legally, be described as "river cobbler", "cobbler", "basa", "pangasius" or simply "panga", as well as any of these names with the addition of "catfish". In the rest of mainland Europe, these fish are mostly sold as "pangasius" or "panga". In Asian fish markets, names for basa also include "Pacific dory" and "patin". Other, related shark-catfish species may occasionally be labeled—albeit incorrectly—as basa, including the iridescent shark (P. hypophthalmus) and the yellowtail catfish (P. pangasius).

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Basa (fish) (revision 1379894529), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q139576 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).