Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Perciformes (Perch-likes) >
Channidae (Snakeheads)
Etymology: Channa: Greek, channe, -es = an anchovy (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic; potamodromous (Ref. 51243). Tropical; 24°C - 28°C (Ref. 2060), preferred ?
Asia: India to China, south to Thailand and Cambodia (Ref. 12693) and Pakistan (Ref. 4833).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 183 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6351); common length : 46.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4833); max. published weight: 30.0 kg (Ref. 4833)
Adults occur in sluggish or standing water in canals, lakes, and swamps (Ref. 12693). Inhabit waters with submerged aquatic vegetation (Ref. 12693). Usually found only in deep pools in rivers and occasionally in lakes. They enter flooded forest (Ref. 9497). Carnivorous and subsist on fish, frogs, snakes, insects, earthworms and tadpoles (Ref. 1479). There are reports of this species taking water birds, snakes, and rodents. Males are territorial. May bite when caught (Elliot Bligh, pers. comm., 2001).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Builds floating nest of weeds and leaves where the orange-yellow eggs are deposited. Eggs hatch in 36 to 48 hours and fry remain in the nest for about 10 days after hatching. Parents guards the fry for about a month.
Rüber, L., R. Britz and R. Zardoya, 2006. Molecular phylogenetics and evolutionary diversification of labyrinth fishes (Perciformes: Anabantoidei). Syst. Biol. 55(3):374-397. (Ref. 58343)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Traumatogenic
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
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