Malay names of freshwater fishes
M.W.F. Tweedie published this concise ethnoichthyological list in 1952, providing a curated correlation between Malay vernacular names and the scientific taxonomy of strictly freshwater fish species in the Malay Peninsula. Working from field knowledge and the specimen records of C.S. Ogilvie at Kuala Tahan, Pahang, Tweedie sought to remedy the inadequate ichthyological grounding of earlier name lists by Maxwell (1921) and Wilkinson (1932), offering what he considered a reliable set of specific identifications.
Summary
The article addresses a gap in the existing literature on Malayan ichthyology. C.N. Maxwell’s Malayan Fishes (1921) dealt predominantly with marine species and its author admitted limited knowledge of freshwater forms, while R.J. Wilkinson’s Malay-English dictionary (1932) contained a large number of fish names but, as Tweedie notes, was compiled at a time when the study of Malayan freshwater fishes had not advanced sufficiently to permit confident taxonomic correlation (p. 62). Tweedie’s list therefore represents a deliberate curation: only names for which he is “reasonably sure” the specific identification is correct are included, with the explicit expectation that future research will augment and revise the list (p. 62).
The list is organised alphabetically by Malay name and spans approximately eighty entries covering Cyprinids, Catfishes, Murrels, Loaches, Eels, Perches, and other freshwater groups. A significant proportion of entries carry the regional qualifier “(Pahang),” reflecting the superior state of knowledge for that state, which Tweedie attributes largely to the records and specimens collected by C.S. Ogilvie at Kuala Tahan on the river Tembeling (p. 62). Several entries note that the same Malay name is applied to both juvenile and adult stages of a species (e.g., Bulu Ayam for young Oxygaster, Kërengkek for young Puntioplites, Pěroi for young Osteochilus hasselti), and that congeneric or morphologically similar species of no gastronomic interest may share a single name (p. 62).
Tweedie also notes the linguistic logic of the naming system: the word ikan (fish) is prepended where the name is a descriptive term with an independent primary meaning, as in Ikan Pasir (sand-fish, i.e., Loach) versus pasir alone meaning simply “sand” (p. 62). The list is explicitly restricted to strictly freshwater species, excluding brackish-water forms and anadromous species that enter rivers from the sea (p. 62).
Key Findings
- The list contains approximately 80 Malay names correlated to specific ichthyological taxa, with roughly 30 entries restricted to or best documented from Pahang (pp. 63–67).
- Tapah (Wallago tweediei) is identified as the largest Malayan freshwater fish, capable of exceeding 100 pounds in weight and 5 feet in length (p. 67).
- Temelian (Probarbus jullieni) is noted as the largest of the Malayan Cyprinids, reaching over 50 pounds in weight (p. 67).
- Daun (Acrossocheilus deauratus) and Kejor/Tengas (Acrossocheilus sumatranus) are identified as the only native fish found in streams above 3,000 feet elevation (p. 63).
- Sepat Siam (Trichogaster pectoralis) is recorded as an introduced species from Siam, of economic importance in rice-fields (p. 66).
- Sisah Nabi (freshwater flatfishes Achiroides achira and Synaptura panoides) derives its name from a local legend concerning the Prophet, in which a fish was caught, half eaten, and the remainder mercifully restored to the water (p. 67).
Conclusion
Tweedie’s definitive takeaway is that Malay freshwater fish nomenclature is “specifically precise beyond expectation” (p. 62), countering any assumption that vernacular naming systems are inherently vague or imprecise. The list serves as a foundational reference for subsequent ichthyological and linguistic work in the region, while explicitly acknowledging its provisional character and the likelihood of regional variation yet to be documented.
Context
- The primary evidential basis is Tweedie’s own field knowledge supplemented by the specimen and record collections of C.S. Ogilvie at Kuala Tahan, Pahang, which provided the most detailed regional dataset available at the time (p. 62).
- The article contributes to the early development of ethnoichthyology in Malaya by establishing a methodologically transparent framework for correlating vernacular names with taxonomic identifications, setting a standard of confidence that later compilations would build upon.