A red-tailed catfish (Hemibagrus wyckioides), weighing some 50kg and measuring 1.8m long, was caught by fishermen in Serepok river in the central highlands province of Dak Lak on Sunday.

It is commonly known as Asian red-tailed catfish and is a catfish species of the family Bagridae. The fish was later sold to a local restaurant in Hoa Phu commune in Buon Me Thuot town.

The fishermen said the catfish recently caught in Serepok river is the largest of its kind seen in several years. They said that they had caught red-tailed catfish before but the largest was just around 20kg.

According to some sources, this species is found throughout much of the Mekong river system in China, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

This species is the largest Bagrid catfish in Asia and can weigh up to 80 kilograms. When the species is small, its caudal fin is white but it becomes bright red when it reaches about 15 cm.

Serepok River runs from Dak Lak province of Vietnam to Stung Treng province in Cambodia to join the Mekong River. It is home to many rare fresh-water fish species like Catostomidae or Hemibagrus.