Giant Snakehead
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''Channa micropeltes'', giant snakehead, giant mudfish or toman harimau, is among the largest species in the family
Channidae 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 ...
, capable of growing to in length and a weight of . It is native to the fresh waters of
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
(South Indian populations are now regarded as a separate species, '' C. diplogramma''),Benziger A, Philip S, Raghavan R, Anvar Ali PH, Sukumaran M, et al. (2011). ''Unraveling a 146 Years Old Taxonomic Puzzle: Validation of Malabar Snakehead, Species-Status and Its Relevance for Channid Systematics and Evolution.'' PLoS ONE 6(6): e21272 but has also been introduced elsewhere and is considered invasive in
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. Other names include ''shol machh'' (শোল মাছ ) in
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
, red snakehead, redline snakehead, and ''ikan toman'' (where ''ikan'' is fish in Malay and
Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...
).


Biology

The young of the ''C.micropeltes'' are red in color, with orange and black lateral stripes appearing after about two months. As the giant snakehead matures, it loses its stripes and redness, and instead develops a bluish-black and white pattern on its upper body. Juveniles sold in the aquarium fish trade are commonly called "red snakeheads". They can get up to long and a weigh . The species has the ability to crawl onto land and breathe air, although they are only able to do this in muddy or swampy areas, hence the nickname "mudfish". Its ability to breathe air using a primitive lung located just behind the gills allows it to survive in stagnant water where oxygen levels are low, by coming to the surface and taking a small gulp of air. It also enables the snakehead to travel short distances on land, although it is unable to hunt while on land, as it cannot support itself at all with its small fins in comparison to its large body.


Distribution

''C. micropeltes'' is found in Southeast Asia,
Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...
, and
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. It used to be believed to have an oddly disjunctive distribution, inhabiting both Southeast Asia and southwest India and
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
, about apart. The Indian population was speculated to be from an early human introduction, prior to the 19th century. In 2011, the Southeast Asian and Indian populations were found to be separate species, with the latter correctly named '' C. diplogramma'' (leaving ''C. micropeltes'' for the Southeast Asian population). This fish is reported to be highly suitable for culture in cages or ponds in combination with
tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically mos ...
. It is found to be an effective tool in controlling the overpopulation of tilapia, which checks the stunted growth of tilapia.


As an invasive species

As the result of human introductions, ''C. micropeltes'' has been reported in six US states:
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
,
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
,
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
and
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
. It is not believed to be established in the U.S., however, unlike the
northern snakehead The northern snakehead (''Channa argus'') is a species of snakehead fish native to temperate East Asia, in China, Russia, North Korea, and South Korea. Their natural range goes from the Amur River watershed in Siberia and Manchuria down to Hainan ...
(''C. argus''), its
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...
relative. In Maryland, three specimens were caught in the early 2000s, two in open waters and one in the shallows of the
Inner Harbor The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark in Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". The Inner Harbo ...
in Baltimore. In 2003, an example was caught in Rock River, Wisconsin. Biologists were concerned that warm water
effluents Effluent is wastewater from sewers or industrial outfalls that flows directly into surface waters, either untreated or after being treated at a facility. The term has slightly different meanings in certain contexts, and may contain various pollut ...
could allow the tropical species to survive in colder climates, but as yet there is no evidence of established populations anywhere in the United States, with all catches believed to be aquarium releases. In 2010, one was found dead on the shores of the Saint-Charles River, in
Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
, Canada. It was obviously an aquarium release. The species is well-established throughout Taiwan and is considered invasive at least in
Sun Moon Lake Sun Moon Lake ( zh, t=, p=Rìyuè tán, poj= ; Thao language, Thao: ''Zintun'') is a lake in Yuchi, Nantou, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. It is the largest body of water in Taiwan. The area around the lake is home to the Thao people, o ...
. An attempt is made at controlling the species in Sun Moon Lake through a targeted fishery for mature pre-spawn females.


Hoax

In 2005, a specimen of ''C. micropeltes'' was reportedly caught by an angler while fishing for
pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...
on the
River Witham The River Witham is a river almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham at , passes through the centre of Grantham (where it may be closely followed using the Riversi ...
in
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. The claim of this catch is highly peculiar, as it was reportedly caught in late winter, and being a tropical species, it would not have been able to survive, let alone feed in an English river during winter. It was later determined to be a hoax; the fish had actually been found dead in a street.


Use as food

In
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
,
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, and
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, the fish is known locally as ''toman'' and is cultured in fish ponds and reservoirs as game fish because they put up a strong fight when hooked. The giant snakehead is also a good fish to eat, and is often served in
Chinese restaurant A Chinese restaurant is a restaurant that serves Chinese cuisine. Most of them are in the Cantonese cuisine, Cantonese style, due to the history of the Overseas Chinese, Chinese diaspora, though other Chinese regional cuisine, regional cuisin ...
s. In
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, this fish is prepared in a variety of ways, especially grilled, being a common food item offered by street vendors. In
traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...
theory, eating this fish is believed to help in healing of the body, for example, after surgery or severe cuts and scrapes.


In the aquarium

''C. micropeltes'', frequently referred to as the red or redline snakehead in the
fishkeeping Fishkeeping is a popular hobby, practiced by aquarists, concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. It is a practice that encompasses the art of maintaining one's own aquatic ecosystem, featuring a lot of variety with various w ...
hobby, is a popular fish to be sold in the pet trade. Juveniles are commonly sold as pets. Some are even sold as feeders to be fed to larger carnivorous fish. They are voracious predators that will chase and eat anything that fits in their mouths. Due to this, they are called "freshwater great whites". They can successfully be housed, though, with silver arowanas, clown knifefishes, oscars, and other fish from same size group.


References


Further reading

* Ebanasar J. and V.Jayaprakas 1995b. Culture of three species of murrels with mossambique tilapia at three predator-prey densities in earthen ponds. J. Aqua . Trop. 10: 221–229. * Ebanasar J. and V.Jayaprakas 1996. Food utilization of Channa micropeltes (Channidae: Pisces) fed three diets of animal origin. Indian J. Exp. Biol. 34:1261–1264. * Ebanasar J. and V. Jayaprakas 2000 Influence of predator size on satiation and gastric evacuation of a predatory fish Channa micropeltes. Indian Journal of Comparative animal Physiology 18 : 44–55 * Ebanasar, J., B.D.Sheeja and R.Narayanan 2001. Nutritive value and Bio-chemical composition of selected freshwater fishes. Journal of Social Medicine 55–57. * Ebanasar. J and V. Jayaprakas (2003) Growth and food utilization of Juvenile giant murrel Channa marulius and striped murrel Channa striatus fed with diets of animal origin. Symposium on physiological approaches to conserve biodiversity and to tackle environmental health hazards. Indian Society for comparative animal physiology. Tirupati. * Jayaprakas. V and J.Ebanasar (2003) Enzymes activity in the alimentary canal of malabar snake head Channa micropeltes fed with different diets. Symposium on physiological approaches to conserve biodiversity and to tackle environmental health hazards. Indian Society for comparative animal physiology. Tirupati.


External links


snakeheads.orgReport of giant snakehead captured in Wisconsin

Photos of Snakehead FishFishing in Belum-Temenggor, Malaysia
{{Taxonbar, from=Q628790 micropeltes Fauna of Southeast Asia Fish of Thailand Fish described in 1831 Taxa named by Georges Cuvier