Pangasius is a genus of shark catfishes in the family Pangasiidae, native to the major river systems of mainland and island Southeast Asia — the atlas's records span Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, and India, with further species in Indonesia and Malaysia. These are large, scaleless, streamlined catfish with a forked tail, a small adipose fin, and barbels around the mouth, and many species are migratory, moving long distances within big rivers such as the Mekong and Chao Phraya to spawn. The genus spans an extreme size range: the atlas covers 24 species from about 7 in up to roughly 118 in, among the largest freshwater fish in Southeast Asia.
Pangasius catfishes matter far more as food fish and fisheries species than as aquarium subjects — several species anchor artisanal and commercial river fisheries across the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins, and the genus includes the Giant pangasius, Pangasius sanitwongsei, one of the largest and most striking catfish in the region. Almost none of the genus suits a home aquarium at adult size. The conservation picture is mixed: dam building, habitat loss, and heavy fishing pressure on migratory stocks have left a meaningful share of species Near Threatened, Vulnerable, or Data Deficient, even though many assessed species currently sit at Least Concern.