Iridescent shark
Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (Sauvage, 1878)
The iridescent shark (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) is a bony fish in the family Pangasiidae, part of the order Siluriformes. It is also called Swai, Patin, Sutchi catfish, Striped catfish and Pangasius catfish.
Quick facts about the iridescent shark
The IUCN Red List classes the iridescent shark as Endangered (EN) in its global assessment, a threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- riverinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the iridescent shark live?
Not recorded
What is the iridescent shark?
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.
From the Wikipedia article “Iridescent shark” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Iridescent_shark&oldid=1379208497), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the iridescent shark endangered?
The iridescent shark is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.
How is the iridescent shark classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderSiluriformes
- familyPangasiidae
- genusPangasianodon
- SpeciesPangasianodon hypophthalmus (Sauvage, 1878)
Synonyms Helicophagus hypophthalmus, Pangasius hypophthalmus, Pangasius sutchi
Other names and names in other languages (27)
- Iridescent shark-catfishEnglish
- Pangasius catfishEnglish
- PatinEnglish
- Striped catfishEnglish
- Striped catfishEnglish
- Sutchi catfishEnglish
- SwaiEnglish
- قرش قزحي اللونArabic
- pangas spodnookýCzech
- HaiwelsGerman
- PangasiusGerman
- PangaSpanish
- Pez gato iridiscenteSpanish
- pangasius traFrench
- Silure requinFrench
- שפמנון אסיאתיHebrew
- Ázsiai cápaharcsaHungarian
- PangasioItalian
- trey praKhmer
- Sum rekiniPolish
- Peixe-gato-SutchiPortuguese
- Пангасиус сиамскийRussian
- progasti somSlovenian
- ปลาสวายThai
- Pla SawaiThai
- Asya Kedi BalığıTurkish
- Ca TraVietnamese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the iridescent shark
Other species in the same genus Pangasianodon.
Mekong giant catfish
Pangasianodon gigas
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the iridescent shark?
The iridescent shark is a bony fish. It belongs to the order Siluriformes and the family Pangasiidae.
What is the scientific name of the iridescent shark?
Its scientific name is Pangasianodon hypophthalmus, placed in the genus Pangasianodon.
Is the iridescent shark endangered?
Yes. The IUCN Red List classes it as Endangered (EN) in its global assessment, which is a threatened category.
What other names does the iridescent shark have?
It is also called Swai, Patin, Sutchi catfish, Striped catfish and Pangasius catfish.
What family does the iridescent shark belong to?
It belongs to the family Pangasiidae, in the class Teleostei.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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CreatureData. (2026). Iridescent shark (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/iridescent-shark
“Iridescent shark (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/iridescent-shark.
@misc{iridescent_shark_2026,
title = {Iridescent shark (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/iridescent-shark},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}