Tor tambroides

Tor tambroides, known as empurau in Malay, is a species of mahseer native to Southeast Asia.

Tor tambroides
Kelah/empurau/Semah selubai, Tor tambroides from Merangin, Indonesia
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Cyprinidae
Genus:	Tor
Species:	T. tambroides
Binomial name
Tor tambroides (Bleeker, 1854)
Synonyms
Labeobarbus tambroides Bleeker, 1854 Barbus tambroides (Bleeker, 1854)

Taxonomy

It has been suggested that the species represents a junior synonym of Tor tambra.^[2][3] T. tambra, T. tambroides and T. douronensis may be synonymous.^[4]

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.^[5] 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.^[5]

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.^[1] The empurau, as the species is known in Malaysia, is reportedly the most expensive edible fish in the country^[6] and has been known to fetch up to RM1800 per kilogram of the fish.^[7]

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.^[8] Artificial hormones may be necessary to induce reproduction.^[9]