Quick answer
IUCN status: ExtinctGiant featherback at a glance
The giant featherback (Chitala lopis) is a freshwater fish in the family Notopteridae. Range in Indonesia: Java, Sumatra and Borneo. Diet: mainly fish, also insects and small vertebrates; a carnivore. IUCN Red List status: Extinct — 2019 assessment, before the 2023 genetic study. It is a legally protected species in Indonesia (Regulation P.106/2018).
| Scientific name | Chitala lopis |
|---|---|
| Indonesian name | Ikan belida |
| Group | Freshwater fish |
| Family | Notopteridae |
| Range in Indonesia | Java, Sumatra and Borneo |
| Linked habitats | Freshwater Wetlands |
| Diet | Mainly fish, also insects and small vertebrates |
| Range in Indonesia | Java, Sumatra and Borneo, according to a 2023 genetic study |
| Key feature | Flat, high-backed body; anal fin joined to tail |
| Other names | Belida, belida lopis |
| Provincial identity animal | South Sumatra |
| IUCN status | Extinct — 2019 assessment, before the 2023 genetic study · IUCN Red List (via GBIF) — Chitala lopis · assessment 2019-08-29 |
| Legal protection in Indonesia | Protected · Regulation P.106/2018 · annex no. 745 |
| Diet type | Carnivore (meat-eater) — mainly a fish-eater (piscivore), also insects and small vertebrates · FishBase |
| Reproduction | Laying eggs (oviparous) · FishBase |
| Venom or poison | Not venomous · FishBase: Chitala lopis species summary |
| Active | Nocturnal (active at night) · FishBase |
In this guide (11)
What is the giant featherback?
The giant featherback (Chitala lopis) is a large freshwater fish of the family Notopteridae, with a flat, knife-like body and a high back. FishBase gives a maximum length of 150 cm. Young fish show faint oblique bars, while adults are plain silvery to bronze. The long anal fin runs into the tail fin.
Its taxonomy was long confused. Three names, C. lopis, C. hypselonotus (belida sumatera) and C. borneensis (belida borneo), were once merged under C. lopis. A 2023 genetic study by Wibowo and colleagues confirmed that they are three distinct species. The 'belida jawa' (Notopterus notopterus) is a relative in a different genus.
Evidence: FishBase — Chitala lopis, Giant featherback ↗ · University of Vienna research portal — Wibowo et al. (2023), Rediscovery of the giant featherback Chitala lopis (Notopteridae) in its type locality resolves decades of taxonomic confusion, Endangered Species Research 52: 285–301 ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia (2021) — Belida Lopis, Ikan Asli Indonesia yang Dinyatakan Punah ↗
Where does the giant featherback live?
According to the 2023 genetic study, the giant featherback (C. lopis) is widespread across Java, Sumatra and Borneo. Before that, the IUCN assessment quoted by Mongabay Indonesia knew the species only from rivers in western and central Java.
FishBase lists its habitat as main river channels and forest streams. Belida also use floodplain swamps. Mongabay Indonesia records belida in the Musi, Ogan, Lematang, Kampar and Batanghari rivers of Sumatra and the Kapuas in Borneo, although that article does not separate the species. The belida is recorded as South Sumatra's provincial identity animal, and a belida statue stands at Benteng Kuto Besak Plaza in Palembang.
Evidence: University of Vienna research portal — Wibowo et al. (2023), Rediscovery of the giant featherback Chitala lopis (Notopteridae) in its type locality resolves decades of taxonomic confusion, Endangered Species Research 52: 285–301 ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia (2021) — Belida, Ikan Berpunggung Pisau Asli Indonesia ↗ · Pemerintah Provinsi Sumatera Barat (Humas, 2017) — Fauna Sekaligus Maskot Prov. Sumbar (daftar fauna identitas provinsi; Sumatera Selatan: ikan belida, Chitala lopis) ↗
What does the giant featherback eat?
The giant featherback is a predator that feeds mainly on fish. FishBase adds that it also takes insects and small vertebrates, and that it is probably active at dusk or at night. Its jaws keep lengthening with age, so in large fish they reach far behind the eye.
Researchers Wibowo and Sunarno (2006), quoted by Mongabay Indonesia, describe belida as night-time predators of floodplain swamps. In the rainy season they move from the main river into the flooded swamps to feed. LIPI researcher Haryono describes the species as sitting at the top of the food chain in Java's rivers.
Evidence: FishBase — Chitala lopis, Giant featherback ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia (2025) — Ikan Belida Makin Sulit Ditemukan, Mengapa? ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia (2021) — Belida Lopis, Ikan Asli Indonesia yang Dinyatakan Punah ↗
How does the giant featherback breathe and breed?
The giant featherback is an obligate air-breather, according to FishBase, so it can survive in oxygen-poor swamp water. Mongabay Indonesia notes that floodplain swamps, the belida's main habitat, are generally low in dissolved oxygen.
Belida spawn in floodplain swamps. Wibowo and Sunarno (2006), quoted by Mongabay Indonesia, explain that in the rainy season belida migrate from the main river, side channels and deep swamp pools into the flooded swamps to grow and spawn. In the dry season they stay wherever water remains in rivers or swamps. We found no checkable source with detailed egg or parental-care data for C. lopis itself.
Evidence: FishBase — Chitala lopis, Giant featherback ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia (2021) — Belida, Ikan Berpunggung Pisau Asli Indonesia ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia (2025) — Ikan Belida Makin Sulit Ditemukan, Mengapa? ↗
Is the giant featherback extinct?
No; the giant featherback has been rediscovered, although the IUCN Red List still lists it as Extinct (assessed 29 August 2019). That assessment rested on the absence of any Javan record since Pieter Bleeker collected a specimen in 1851.
In 2023, Wibowo and colleagues reported the rediscovery of C. lopis at its type locality in Java and concluded that it occurs across Java, Sumatra and Borneo. They urged IUCN to revise the status of all three species. C. hypselonotus, by contrast, proved restricted to central Sumatra and had not been collected from the Musi since 2015. Key threats are swamp loss, pollution, overfishing and invasive tilapia.
Evidence: University of Vienna research portal — Wibowo et al. (2023), Rediscovery of the giant featherback Chitala lopis (Notopteridae) in its type locality resolves decades of taxonomic confusion, Endangered Species Research 52: 285–301 ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia (2021) — Belida Lopis, Ikan Asli Indonesia yang Dinyatakan Punah ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia (2025) — Ikan Belida Makin Sulit Ditemukan, Mengapa? ↗
How can the giant featherback be protected?
The giant featherback is legally protected: Chitala lopis is entry 745 in the annex to Regulation P.106/2018, alongside C. borneensis, C. hypselonotus and Notopterus notopterus. The fisheries ministry (KKP) states that any belida caught, deliberately or by accident, must be released.
Do not catch, buy or trade wild belida or products made from them. According to Mongabay Indonesia, since 2018 pempek and cracker makers in Palembang no longer dare to use belida meat. People can help by protecting swamps and deep river pools, never releasing farmed non-native fish into rivers, and reporting belida trade to the authorities. Researchers propose fish sanctuaries and restocking to help the species recover.
Evidence: JDIH Kementerian Kehutanan — Lampiran Permen LHK P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018 tentang Jenis Tumbuhan dan Satwa yang Dilindungi ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia (2021) — Belida Lopis, Ikan Asli Indonesia yang Dinyatakan Punah ↗ · Mongabay Indonesia (2025) — Ikan Belida Makin Sulit Ditemukan, Mengapa? ↗
Explore related habitats
These habitat relationships are supported by species sources in this guide. This is not a complete range map.
Scientific classification of the Giant featherback
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Actinopterygii |
| Order | Osteoglossiformes |
| Family | Notopteridae |
| Genus | Chitala |
| Species | Chitala lopis |
Source: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, adjusted to the ranks commonly used in school biology (for example class Reptilia).
Common questions about the giant featherback
What is the scientific name of the giant featherback?
The scientific name of the giant featherback is Chitala lopis, in the family Notopteridae. In Indonesian it is called Ikan belida.
What kind of animal is the giant featherback?
The giant featherback is a freshwater fish in the family Notopteridae. By diet it is a carnivore (meat-eater): a mainly a fish-eater (piscivore), also insects and small vertebrates.
Where does the giant featherback live in Indonesia?
In Indonesia, this guide records the giant featherback in: Java, Sumatra and Borneo.
Source-supported habitats: Freshwater Wetlands.
What does the giant featherback eat?
Diet of the giant featherback: mainly fish, also insects and small vertebrates. That makes it a carnivore (meat-eater). Source: FishBase.
How does the giant featherback reproduce?
The giant featherback reproduces by laying eggs (oviparous). There are no breeding data for C. lopis itself; it is classed by its genus. In the related C. chitala, the female lays her eggs on stakes or tree stumps in the water, and the male guards and fans them. Source: FishBase.
Is the giant featherback venomous?
No. The giant featherback is not venomous. Source: FishBase: Chitala lopis species summary.
Do not catch, handle or disturb wild animals. If bitten, stung or exposed to its toxins, go to the nearest health facility straight away.
Is the giant featherback nocturnal?
Yes. The giant featherback is nocturnal (active at night). Probably active at dusk and at night; not directly studied in this species. Source: FishBase.
See also the list of nocturnal and diurnal animals in Indonesia.
What are the main features of the giant featherback?
Key features of the giant featherback, from this guide’s sources: Key feature: flat, high-backed body; anal fin joined to tail.
What is the scientific classification of the giant featherback?
Scientific classification of the giant featherback: kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Actinopterygii, order Osteoglossiformes, family Notopteridae, genus Chitala, species Chitala lopis.
Source: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, adjusted to the ranks commonly used in school biology.
Is the giant featherback endangered?
The global conservation status of the giant featherback: Extinct — 2019 assessment, before the 2023 genetic study (assessment or source update 2019-08-29). In the IUCN system, this category means there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. That assessment used the older species concept, which knew the giant featherback only from Java. A 2023 genetic study by Wibowo and colleagues found it alive and widespread in Java, Sumatra and Borneo, and asked the IUCN to revise its status. Source: IUCN Red List (via GBIF) — Chitala lopis.
This global category is separate from national legal protection. Is the giant featherback protected in Indonesia?
Is the giant featherback protected in Indonesia?
Yes. The giant featherback (Chitala lopis) is a protected species in Indonesia under Environment and Forestry Ministerial Regulation No. P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018 on protected plant and animal species (annex, entry 745).
Article 21(2) of Law No. 5 of 1990, as amended by Law No. 32 of 2024, prohibits anyone from hunting, catching, injuring, killing, storing, owning, keeping, transporting or trading a protected animal, alive or dead, including its body parts, eggs and nests.
If you see this animal being traded, kept or injured, contact the local BKSDA office.
Can the giant featherback be kept as a pet?
No. Because the giant featherback is a protected species, catching, owning, keeping, transporting or trading it without a permit is prohibited by law. Trading without a permit through electronic media is also prohibited.
If you see this animal for sale or being kept, report it to the local BKSDA office.
Compare with similar animals
Sources & references
- University of Vienna research portal — Wibowo et al. (2023), Rediscovery of the giant featherback Chitala lopis (Notopteridae) in its type locality resolves decades of taxonomic confusion, Endangered Species Research 52: 285–301 ↗
- FishBase — Chitala lopis, Giant featherback ↗
- Mongabay Indonesia (2021) — Belida Lopis, Ikan Asli Indonesia yang Dinyatakan Punah ↗
- Mongabay Indonesia (2021) — Belida, Ikan Berpunggung Pisau Asli Indonesia ↗
- Mongabay Indonesia (2025) — Ikan Belida Makin Sulit Ditemukan, Mengapa? ↗
- Pemerintah Provinsi Sumatera Barat (Humas, 2017) — Fauna Sekaligus Maskot Prov. Sumbar (daftar fauna identitas provinsi; Sumatera Selatan: ikan belida, Chitala lopis) ↗
- JDIH Kementerian Kehutanan — Lampiran Permen LHK P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018 tentang Jenis Tumbuhan dan Satwa yang Dilindungi ↗
- FishBase ↗
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (GBIF) ↗
References can change. Check dates and context in the original source.
Cite this page
PanduanHewan. (2026, 1 October). Giant featherback (Chitala lopis). PanduanHewan.org. https://panduanhewan.org/en/species/giant-featherback/