attu lie above the mouth of the fish, whilst they lie on the same level as the mouth in W. It can, however, be differentiated by its relatively long and narrower head, as well as its dorsal fin, which is high and sharp, opposed to that of W.
It shares parts of its native range with the externally similar, but much larger Wallagonia leerii, and is subsequently often confused for it. The species can reach a maximum length of 2 m (6 ft 7 in). attu is found in large rivers and lakes in two geographically disconnected regions ( disjunct distribution), with one population living over much of the Indian Subcontinent and the other in parts of Southeast Asia.
It has known by various names in different regions and languages, such as Borali (বৰালি) in Assamese, Tamil ஆத்துவாளை (Aaththu vaalai), Manipuri Sareng,Mizo: Thaichhawninu, the Odisha Balia (ବାଳିଆ), the Bengal Boal (বোয়াল), Vietnamese : Cá leo the Sylheti Gual or the Malaysian and Indonesian Tapah are also occasionally used in English. It is commonly known as helicopter catfish or wallago catfish. Wallago attu is a freshwater catfish of the family Siluridae, native to South and Southeast Asia.
