Tor tambroides
{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Tor tambroid 160811-61602 ffi.JPG
| image_caption = Kelah/empurau/Semah selubai, Tor tambroides
from Merangin, Indonesia
| status = DD
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| taxon = Tor tambroides
| authority = (Bleeker, 1854)
| synonyms = *Labeobarbus tambroides Bleeker, 1854
- Barbus tambroides (Bleeker, 1854)
}}
Tor tambroides, known as empurau in Malay, is a species of mahseer native to Southeast Asia.
Taxonomy
It has been suggested that the species represents a junior synonym of Tor tambra.{{cite journal|last1=Walton|first1=S. E.|first2=H. M.|last2=Gan|first3=R.|last3=Raghavan|first4=Adrian C.|last4=Pinder|first5=A.|last5=Ahmad|title=Disentangling the taxonomy of the mahseers (Tor spp.) of Malaysia: An integrated approach using morphology, genetics and historical records|journal=Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture|volume=25|issue=3|year=2017|pages=171–183|doi=10.1080/23308249.2016.1251391|s2cid=90763858|url=http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/26784/7/s1-ln23491465-517607879-1939656818Hwf-127257614IdV89340958123491465PDF_HI0001.Accepted.pdf}}{{cite journal|last=Pinder|first=Adrian C.|display-authors=etal|title=Mahseer (Tor spp.) fishes of the world: status, challenges and opportunities for conservation|journal=Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries|volume=29|issue=2|year=2019|pages=417–452|doi=10.1007/s11160-019-09566-y|s2cid=143424293|doi-access=free}} T. tambra, T. tambroides and T. douronensis may be synonymous.{{cite journal|last=Roberts|first=T. R.|year=1999|title=Fishes of the cyprinid genus Tor in the Nam Theun watershed (Mekong basin) of Laos, with description of a new species|journal=Raffles Bulletin of Zoology|volume=47|pages=225–236|url=https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/app/uploads/2017/06/47rbz225-236.pdf}}
Distribution
These fish have been found throughout Southeast Asia, ranging from Thailand in the Chao Phraya and Mekong River basins to the Greater Sunda Islands. The species has been reported in Burma.{{FishBase|genus=Tor|species=tambroides|month=August|year=2014}}
The type locality of Tor tambroides is the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Ecology
The species is omnivorous, sometimes eating toxic fruits when the streams it inhabits flood the forest; this may make them temporarily inedible. During the rainy season, juveniles migrate downstream. After 2 months, matured adults travel back upstream to spawn at the headwaters in the dry season.
Conservation
While the species is not currently assigned a conservation status by the IUCN due to lack of data, overfishing is assumed to threaten the wild population. The empurau, as the species is known in Malaysia, is reportedly the most expensive edible fish in the country{{cite news|title=Tycoon flies in on private jet for fish|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/01/08/Tycoon-flies-in-on-private-jet-for-fish-Lam-and-friends-enjoy-RM3000-empurau/|work=The Star|date=8 January 2014}} and has been known to fetch up to RM1800 per kilogram of the fish.{{cite news|title=Empurau, the most expensive fish|url=http://www.mysinchew.com/node/36931|publisher=Sin Chew Daily|date=27 March 2010}}
Aquaculture
Empurau can be grown in captivity. The fish require moving, well-oxygenated water. They should be fed on various fruits and seeds to simulate their natural diet.{{cite news
| last = Mail
| first = Rintos
| title = Empurau – king of the river
| newspaper = Borneo Post
| location =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher =
| date = 11 September 2016
| url = https://www.theborneopost.com/2016/09/11/empurau-king-of-the-river/
| access-date = 15 May 2019 }} Artificial hormones may be necessary to induce reproduction.{{cite conference
| first =
| last =
| author-link =
| title = Guidelines for genetic management and conservation
| book-title = Artificial propagation of empurau, Tor tambroides and semah, Tor douronensis, two species of commercial and conservation value to Sarawak, Malaysia
| pages =
| publisher = Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific
| date = 12 November 2007
| location =
| url = https://enaca.org/?id=582
| doi =
| id =
| access-date = 15 May 2019}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/09/11/empurau-king-of-the-river/ Empurau – king of the river]
- https://www.mahseertrust.org/
{{Taxonbar|from=Q3768599}}
Category:Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker