Critically Endangered
Red-tailed black shark
Epalzeorhynchos bicolor
The red-tailed black shark (Red-tailed black shark; syn.
Size
The red-tailed black shark (Red-tailed black shark; syn.
Red-tailed black sharks grow to be 6 inches (16 cm), but some specimens have reached 7–8 inches (18–20 cm).
It was described by Hugh McCormick Smith in 1931 as being "not uncommon in Borapet Swamp, Central Siam, and in the streams leading therefrom", and as being found in the Chao Phraya River as far south as Bangkok.
Range and habitat
This species is endemic to Thailand, and has been recorded in the lower Mae Khlong, Chao Phraya, and Bangpakong river basins. Red-tailed black sharks live in lowland streams, rivers, and creeks. In 2011 it was only known at a single location in the Chao Phraya basin, however it was believed to be strictly localized and is thought to be extirpated across the rest of its range.
Even so, the fish that are bred in captivity may no longer be genetically suitable for release into the wild via hatchery raised reintroduction. The ICUN has recommended that an ex-situ conservation breeding program be established in captivity with the specific purpose of conservation and reintroduction to wild populations.
Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.
Diet
In the wild they eat insects, small crustaceans, worms, detritus, and plant matter.
In crisis
It is endemic to streams and rivers in Thailand and is currently critically endangered. Currently the Red Tailed Black Shark is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The reason as to why the wild population has declined is not well known.
Intense overharvesting by the aquarium trade has historically been blamed for being responsible for the species' decline. It could be argued that the aquarium trade saved the species from extinction, as breeding of red-tailed black sharks in countries such as Thailand and Sri Lanka has relieved pressure off of harvesting wild populations.
Red-tailed black shark is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.
Sources
Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Red-tailed black shark, Wikidata item Q301058. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.
