The distinguishing features of a northern snakehead include a long dorsal fin with 49–50 rays,[5] an anal fin with 31–32 rays, a small, anteriorly depressed head, the eyes above the middle part of the upper jaw, a large mouth extending well beyond the eye, and villiform teeth in bands, with large canines on the lower jaw and palatines. It is generally reported to reach a length up to 100cm (3ft 3in),[2][3] but specimens approaching 150cm (4ft 11in) are known according to Russian ichthyologists.[2] The largest registered by the International Game Fish Association weighs 9.53kg (21lb 0oz).[6]
Its coloration is a golden tan to pale brown, with dark blotches on the sides and saddle-like blotches across the back. Blotches toward the front tend to separate between top and bottom sections, while rear blotches are more likely to be contiguous. Coloration is nearly the same between juveniles and adults, which is unusual among snakeheads, and is similar to Channa maculata, but can be distinguished by two bar-like marks on the caudal peduncle (where the tail attaches); in C. maculata, the rear bar is usually complete, with pale bar-like areas before and after, while in C. argus, the rear bar is irregular and blotched, with no pale areas around it.[2]
Fish similar in appearance
The eyespot bowfin (Amia ocellicauda) and northern snakehead can be found in the same waters on the swampy tidal coastal plain of the mid-Atlantic United States, such as the Potomac and Delaware River, and are commonly confused with each other. Some contrasting differences in northern snakehead include the lack of a black eyespot on their caudal peduncle, a golden tan to brown coloration with dark splotches, a longer anal fin, a more elongated head, and an upper jaw that is shorter than its lower jaw. Another noticeable difference is that the northern snakehead has scales that continue uniformly from the body through to their head, whereas bowfin heads are smooth and free of scales.[7]
Behavior
The northern snakehead is a freshwater species and cannot tolerate salinity in excess of 10 parts per million.[2] It is a facultative air breather; it uses a suprabranchial organ and a bifurcated ventral aorta that permit aquatic and aerial respiration.[8][9]:10–13 This unusual respiratory system allows it to live outside of water for several days; it can wriggle its way to other bodies of water or survive being transported by humans. Only young of this species (not adults) may be able to move overland for short distances using wriggling motions.[2] The preferred habitats of this species are stagnant water with mud substrate and aquatic vegetation, or slow, murky, swampy streams; it is primarily piscivorous, but is known to eat crustaceans, other invertebrates, and amphibians.[10]
The northern snakehead can double its population in as little as 15 years. It reaches sexual maturity at age three or four, when it will be about 30to 35cm (1ft 0in– 1ft 2in) long. The eggs are fertilized externally; a female can lay 100,000 eggs a year. Fertilization occurs in shallow water in the early morning. The eggs are yellow and spherical, about 2mm (0.079in) in diameter. Eggs hatch after about 1–2 days, but they can take much longer at lower temperatures. The eggs are guarded by the parents until egg absorption, when the eggs are about 8mm (0.31in) long.[11]
C. a. argus(Cantor, 1842) (Northern snakehead) China and Korea
C. a. warpachowskiiBerg, 1909 (Amur snakehead) eastern Russia.
As an invasive species
In its native Asia, the snakehead fish is considered to be an important food fish and for this reason they have been exported to many other regions around the world. They were first introduced to Japan from mainland Asia in the early 1900s, where they have since become a sport fish. The USSR experimented with aquaculture of snakeheads during the mid 20th century in both Europe and Central Asia. In the United States, snakeheads were only cultured in Arkansas, but have managed to establish populations there and several states in the Mid-Atlantic.
Japan
Snakeheads of Korean stock were first introduced to Japan in the 1920s, and since then have spread to about every suitable body of water on the Japanese mainland.[13]
Europe
During the Cold War, the USSR imported several different species of fish from eastern Eurasia into Europe for new prospects in aquaculture. Among these fish was the northern snakehead, which came from the Amur River basin and were stocked in various ponds of the Moscow region starting in 1949.[14] These initial experiments were successful and it was recommended that snakehead be stocked into various other waterbodies. However, only one shipment to Czechoslovakia was ever made in 1955, and nothing else after. The snakehead was also introduced to the Volga Delta and various ponds in Yekaterinburg, but are presumed to have failed due to no reports since then.
While the snakeheads were reported to have been breeding in Moscow in the 1950s, they have since disappeared. There are no known populations in Europe in this moment.
Central Asia
The snakehead has managed to establish themselves in the countries of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, all of which used to be part of the former Soviet Union. More specifically, they are known to be in the Amu Darya, Syr Darya, and Kashka-Darya since the 1960s due to both accidental and intentional releases. Since then, snakeheads have also been introduced to the Sarysu River, Talas River, and Chu River. They have become an important commercial fish in the region, with around 10 metric tons being harvested from just the Talas in 1989.
United States
The fish first appeared in U.S. news when an alert fisherman discovered one in a Crofton, Maryland, pond in the summer of 2002.[15] The snakehead fish was considered to be a threat to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and wary officials took action by draining the pond in an attempt to destroy the species. The action was successful, and two adults and over 100 juvenile fish were found and destroyed. A man admitted having released two adults, which he had purchased from a New York market, into the pond.[16]
Northern snakehead in shallow water
In 2004, 19 northern snakeheads were captured in the Potomac River, and they were later confirmed to have become established (i.e., they were breeding). They are somewhat limited to that stretch of the river and its local tributaries, upstream by the Great Falls, and downstream by the salinity of Chesapeake Bay.[16] Tests found they are not related to northern snakeheads found in other waters in the region, alleviating some concern of their overland migration.[17] Northern snakeheads continue to be caught in the river as of 2022.[18][19]
The northern snakehead has been found in three counties of Florida, and may already be established there. Apparently unestablished specimens have been found in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, New York City, two ponds in Philadelphia,[16] a pond in Massachusetts, and reservoirs in California and North Carolina.[2] In 2008, the northern snakehead was found in drainage ditches in Arkansas as a result of a commercial fish-farming accident. Recent flooding may have allowed the species to spread into the nearby White River, which would allow an eventual population of the fish in the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers.
In the summer of 2008, an infestation of the northern snakehead was confirmed in Ridgebury Lake and Catlin Creek near Ridgebury, New York. By August 2008, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation had collected a number of the native fish, and then poisoned the waters with a liquid rotenone formulation. After the poisoning, the NYSDEC had to identify, measure, and additionally process the fish to adhere with Bureau of Fisheries procedures before disposal. The treatment plan was operated under several agents, and New York State Police were placed on stand-by in case of protests of local residents of the area.
A new concern is that this fish's spreading is getting close to the Great Lakes, which it may enter and disrupt that ecosystem.
When the snakehead was found in Crofton, the piscicide rotenone was added to the three adjacent ponds.[2] This method of containment killed all fish present in the water body to prevent the spread of the highly invasive snakehead. The chemical breaks down rapidly, and has a half-life in water of 1–3 days.[20][21]
In 2012, a snakehead was found in a pond in Burnaby, British Columbia, but further study revealed that it had been released three months or less before its capture and it was a blotched snakehead or perhaps a hybrid involving that species.[22] Unlike the northern snakehead, which potentially can establish a population in parts of Canada, the blotched snakehead generally only lives in warmer waters.[22] Before its exact identity was revealed, the province introduced legislation banning the possession of snakeheads and several other potentially invasive species.[22]
In April 2013, sightings of the species in Central Park's Harlem Meer prompted New York City officials to urge anglers to report and capture any individuals. Ron P. Swegman, author of several angling essays on Central Park's ponds, confirmed the species had put both anglers and the New York State DEP on high alert.[23][24]
On 1 June 2013, Caleb Newton, a Spotsylvania County, Virginia, resident caught a 7.9kg (17lb 6oz) northern snakehead from the junction of Aquia Creek and the Potomac River, United States, beating the previous World Record of 17lb 4oz (7.8kg) caught in 2004, in Miki, Kagawa, Japan.[25]
In late 2013, authorities in Virginia and Maryland were counting snakeheads in the Chesapeake Bay to better understand the impact of the introduction of the fish to the local ecosystem.[26] Virginia has criminalized the "introduc[tion]" of snakeheads into the state without specific authorization, although the relevant statute does not explain whether mere importation is sufficient to constitute "introduc[tion] into the Commonwealth" or whether instead release into the environment is required.[27]
On May 20, 2014, Luis Aragon of Triangle, Virginia, caught a 17lb 12oz (8.05kg) northern snakehead, which was officially listed as the biggest ever caught on rod and reel, according to the International Game Fish Association.[6]
On May 20, 2016, Emory "Dutch" Baldwin of Indian Head, Maryland boated an 18.42lb (8.36kg) northern snakehead in tidal marshes of the Potomac using archery tackle. This fish was listed as the state sport record in Maryland by the Department of Natural Resources.[28]
On the night of May 24, 2018, Andrew “Andy” Fox of Mechanicsville, Maryland shot a northern snakehead with a bow and arrow, which was officially listed as the biggest ever shot according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The record-breaking northern snakehead weighed 19.9 lb, with a length of 35.157 inches. The snakehead was shot near Indian Head, Mattawoman Creek, in Charles County, Maryland.[29]
Northern snakeheads are respected among some Chinese fishermen for their virtue, as parent snakefish are known to sacrifice themselves to protect their young. The young fish are said to rush to feed upon their mother after she gives birth and is temporarily unable to catch prey.[36]
The bowfin is a bony fish, native to North America. Common names include mudfish, mud pike, dogfish, grindle, grinnel, swamp trout, and choupique. It is regarded as a relict, being one of only two surviving species of the Halecomorphi, a group of fish that first appeared during the Early Triassic, around 250 million years ago. The bowfin is often considered a "primitive fish" because they have retained some morphological characteristics of their early ancestors. It is one of two species in the genus Amia, along with Amia ocellicauda, the eyespot bowfin. The closest living relatives of bowfins are gars, with the two groups being united in the clade Holostei.
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 blue catfish is a large species of North American catfish, reaching a length of 65 in (170 cm) and a weight of 143 lb (65 kg). The continent’s largest catfish, it can live to 20 years, with a typical fish being between 25–46 in (64–117 cm) and 30–70 lb (14–32 kg). Native distribution is primarily in the Mississippi River and Louisiana drainage systems, including the Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Arkansas Rivers, the Des Moines River in south-central Iowa, the Rio Grande, and south along the Gulf Coast to Belize and Guatemala.
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.
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.
The wels catfish, also called sheatfish or just wels, is a large species of catfish native to wide areas of central, southern, and eastern Europe, in the basins of the Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas. It has been introduced to Western Europe as a prized sport fish and is now found from the United Kingdom east to Kazakhstan and China and south to Greece and Turkey.
Mudfish most commonly refers to all species of Neochanna, native to New Zealand and south-eastern Australia.
Channa micropeltes, giant snakehead, giant mudfish or toman harimau, is among the largest species in the family Channidae, capable of growing to 1.3 m (4.3 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 South Branch Wildlife Management Area is 1,092 acres (4.42 km2) of mixed oak-hickory woodlands and pastures in Hampshire and Hardy Counties, West Virginia, USA. The South Branch WMA consists of four separate tracts along the South Branch Potomac River around and south of the river gorge known as The Trough. It is known throughout the region for its dove, squirrel, deer, and wild turkey hunting. The WMA is owned by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
The Allegheny Wildlife Management Area is located on 6,202 acres (25.1 km2) on two separate tracts of mixed oak-hickory woodlands in western Mineral County along the Allegheny Front. The large land tract of 5,034 acres (2,037.2 ha) is accessible via Pinnacle Road and Pine Swamp Road four miles (6 km) southwest of Keyser. The smaller tract of 1,168 acres (4.7 km2) is accessed by West Virginia Route 46 and Barnum Road about 6 miles (10 km) north from Elk Garden. The Barnum Road tract consists of old farm fields along the river and the ridgetop, connected by steep slopes.
The Ceylon snakehead is a species of snakehead found in freshwater habitats, typically shaded streams, in southwestern Sri Lanka.
Channa marulius, the bullseye snakehead or great snakehead, is a large species of snakehead native to South Asia. Populations in Southeast Asia are now regarded as separate species.
The blotched snakehead is a species of snakehead. It is one of four species of the genus Channa native to China. It is also native to northern Vietnam and Taiwan, but has been widely introduced to other countries, where it is an invasive species. This predatory species typically grows to a length of 20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 in), but it has been confirmed at 33 cm (13 in) and some suggest it may reach a far larger size.
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 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.
Channa rara is a species of labyrinth fish of the snakehead family (Channidae). It was described in 2019.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Courtenay, Walter R.; Williams, James D. (2004). "Snakeheads (Pisces, Channidae): A biological synopsis and risk assessment". Circular. doi:10.3133/cir1251. hdl:2027/umn.31951d02062442x. Courtenay W. R. Jr., and J. D. Williams. (2004). "Snakeheads (Pisces, Channidae).—A Biological Synopsis and Risk Assessment", U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1251.
↑ Hogan, C.Michael (2012). Northern Snakehead. Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. E.Monosson & C.Cleveland. National Council for Science and the Environment.] Washington DC.
↑ Caspers, H. (1968). "YAICHIRO OKADA: Studies on the Freshwater Fishes of Japan. With 61 plates, 133 text-fig., 135 tables. Japan: Prefectural University of Mie; Tsu, Mie Prefecture 1959- 1960. 862 pp". Internationale Revue der Gesamten Hydrobiologie und Hydrographie. 53: 162. doi:10.1002/iroh.19680530109.
↑ "Issg Database: Ecology of Channa Argus." Issg Database: Ecology of Channa Argus. N.p., 21 May 2009. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.
↑ Code of Virginia § 18.2–313.2: "Any person who knowingly introduces into the Commonwealth any snakehead fish of the family Channidae[...] without a permit from the Director of Game and Inland Fisheries [...] is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor [punishable by up to twelve months in jail and/or a fine of up to $2,500]."
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