Channa is a genus of predatory fish in the family Channidae, commonly known as snakeheads, native to freshwater habitats in Asia. This genus contains about 50 scientifically described species. The genus has a wide natural distribution extending from Iraq in the west, to Indonesia and China in the east, and parts of Siberia in the Far East. A particularly high richness of species exists in Myanmar (Burma) and northeastern India, and many Channa species live nowhere else. In contrast, a few widespread species have been introduced to several regions outside their natural range, where they often become invasive. The large and medium-sized Channa species are among the most common staple food fish in several Asian countries, and they are extensively cultured. Apart from their importance as a food fish, snakeheads are consumed in some regions as a traditional medicine for wound healing and reducing postoperative pain and discomfort, and collected for the international aquarium pet trade.
The snakeheads are members of the freshwater perciform fish family Channidae, native to parts of Africa and Asia. These elongated, predatory fish are distinguished by their long dorsal fins, large mouths, and shiny teeth. They breathe air with gills, which allows them to migrate short distances over land. They have suprabranchial organs, which are primitive forms of labyrinth organs, that develop when they grow older. The two extant genera are Channa in Asia and Parachanna in Africa, consisting of more than 50 species.
The Barca snakehead is a rare species of snakehead. It is endemic to the upper Brahmaputra river basin in northeastern India and Bangladesh. Records from Nepal are of doubtful validity. Overall it has been assessed as data deficient by the IUCN, and in 2014 it was assessed as critically endangered in Bangladesh by the IUCN. In Assam, it is locally known as cheng garaka or garaka cheng.
Channa bleheri is a species of dwarf snakehead that is endemic to the Brahmaputra River basin in the Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It is among the most colorful species of snakehead.
Dwarf snakehead is a term coined by aquarists to describe a group of Channa snakehead fishes growing to about 25 cm (10 in) maximum. They are found in freshwater habitats in South and Southeast Asia, and southern China.
The forest snakehead is a species of snakehead, a fish of the family Channidae. Its range includes most of Southeast Asia and parts of southern China. It lives in forest streams and can reach 40 cm (16 in) in length. The forest snakehead is known in Thai language as pla krasong. Khmer language called it កញ្ជនជៃ, Indonesians named it kehung, while in Malaysia, they called it ikan bujuk in Malay Language
Channa gachua, the dwarf snakehead, is a species of fish in the family Channidae. The name "dwarf snakehead" is also used for several other species of small snakeheads. C. gachua is native to freshwater habitats in southern Asia, where it has a wide distribution from Iran to Indonesia. This fish is considered to be a species complex, a group of several closely related taxa with one name. It is likely at least three to four different species, and further research may differentiate them. A few species such as Channa harcourtbutleri have been separated from the complex in recent decades. The easternmost population of C. gachua is often recognized as a separate species C. limbata, while the isolated Sri Lankan population often is recognized as C. kelaartii.
Channa striata, the striped snakehead, is a species of snakehead fish. It is also known as the common snakehead, chevron snakehead, or snakehead murrel and generally referred simply as mudfish. It is native to South and Southeast Asia, and has been introduced to some Pacific Islands. Reports from Madagascar and Hawaii are misidentifications of C. maculata.
Channa harcourtbutleri, the Burmese snakehead, is a species of snakehead endemic to Inle Lake and surroundings in Myanmar. Locally called nga ohn-ma, among aquarists it is considered one of the dwarf snakeheads, but no significant import for aquarists is known. It is one of the smaller species of snakehead and has a standard length of up to 19.4 cm (7.6 in). The specific name honors Sir Harcourt Butler, a British governor in the region.
Channa micropeltes, giant snakehead, giant mudfish or toman harimau, is among the largest species in the family Channidae, capable of growing to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in length and a weight of 20 kg (44 lb). It is native to the fresh waters of Southeast Asia, but has also been introduced elsewhere and is considered invasive in Taiwan. Other names include xal mas in Assamese, red snakehead, redline snakehead, and ikan toman.
The Ceylon snakehead is a species of snakehead found in freshwater habitats, typically shaded streams, in southwestern Sri Lanka.
Channa marulius is a large species of snakehead native to South Asia. Populations in Southeast Asia are now regarded as separate species.
The Anabantiformes, collectively known as Labyrinth fish. are an order of air-breathing freshwater ray-finned fish with two suborders, five families and having at least 207 species. In addition, some authorities expand the order to include the suborder Nandoidei, which includes three families - the Nandidae, Badidae and Pristolepididae - that appear to be closely related to the Anabantiformes. The order, and these three related families, are part of a monophyletic clade which is a sister clade to the Ovalentaria, the other orders in the clade being Synbranchiformes, Carangiformes, Istiophoriformes and Pleuronectiformes. This clade is sometimes referred to as the Carangaria but is left unnamed and unranked in Fishes of the World. This group of fish are found in Asia and Africa, with some species introduced in United States of America.
Channa stewartii is a species of dwarf snakehead in the family Channidae, which is native to Nepal and the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura. It may also be found in Bangladesh. This freshwater fish mostly inhabits hill streams, but can also be found in ponds. It is of little value as a food fish but common in the aquarium trade.
Channa pardalis is a species of dwarf snakehead in the genus Channa. It was first described in 2016 from Khasi Hills, Meghalaya of northeastern India. Prior to its scientific description, it was known as Channa sp. "True Blue" or Channa sp. "Meghalaya" in the aquarium trade, although some claim that "Meghalaya" is another, still undescribed species. C. pardalis is closely related to C. bipuli and C. stewartii.
Channa royi, the Andaman emerald snakehead, is a species of snakehead fish endemic to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. This dwarf snakehead is distinct from other snakehead species due to its differing coloration, number of vertebrae, and teeth, most notably its greenish-gray dorsum. It was only scientifically described in 2018 and its closest relative is the Burmese snakehead, and a review in 2019 argued that the two are synonyms.
Aenigmachanna gollum, the Gollum snakehead, is a species of aquifer-dwelling dragon snakehead fish that is endemic to the Indian state of Kerala.
Channa auroflammea is a species of snakehead, a fish of the family Channidae. Its range includes Mekong River. It was previously lumped with C. marulius, C. cf. marulius, or C. aff. marulius, but can be distinguished within the group by colour pattern, other morphological characteristics, and genetic information.
Channa ornatipinnis is a freshwater species of snakehead, a fish of the family Channidae. It is found in tropical Asia. They can get up to 30.5 cm (12.0 in) long.
Channa aurolineata is a species of Asian snakehead in the family Channidae. It is found natively in most of Myanmar's waterways as well as the Mae Khlong drainage in Thailand. There is also an invasive population found in Southeast Florida, United States. This species was recently split from C. marulius, the bullseye snakehead, and confirmed as a separate species in 2018; and the Florida and Thailand populations were not discovered to be C. aurolineata until even more recently in 2019. Before this, the Thailand population's species was unknown and the Florida ones were assumed to be C. marulius. C. aurolineata was able to be separated as a new species and identified in other areas due to slight differences in color pattern, lateral line scale and fin ray morphology, and DNA structure from the other species in the marulius complex.
