''Channa'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of predatory

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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 ...

, commonly known as snakeheads, native to freshwater habitats in Asia. This genus contains about 50

scientifically described A species description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species that have be ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

. The genus has a wide natural distribution extending from

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

in the west, to Indonesia and China in the east, and parts of

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

. A particularly high richness of species exists in

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

(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 Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ing ...

in several Asian countries, and they are extensively cultured.Kumar, K., R. Kumar, S. Saurabh, M. Sahoo, A.K. Mohanty, P.L. Lalrinsanga, U.L. Mohanty and P. Jayasankar (2012). Snakehead Fishes: Fact Sheets. Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar. Apart from their importance as a food fish, snakeheads are consumed in some regions as a

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

for wound healing and reducing postoperative pain and discomfort, and collected for the international aquarium pet trade.PracticalFishkeeping (13 June 2016)
Quick Guide to Snakeheads
Retrieved 12 February 2019. All snakeheads are highly predatory, and the diets of the various species of ''Channa'' include fish, amphibians (like frogs), snakes, rodents, birds, and invertebrates (insects and crustaceans). They have a

labyrinth organ The Anabantoidei are a suborder of anabantiform ray-finned freshwater fish distinguished by their possession of a lung-like labyrinth organ, which enables them to breathe air. The fish in the Anabantoidei suborder are known as anabantoids or lab ...

, which allows them to breathe air for short periods, and they use this adaptation to travel across land in the event that their habitat becomes inhospitable. They are mostly solitary or live in monogamous pairs that are highly aggressive towards outsiders of their own species, but ''C. pleurophthalma'' often occurs in small groups. Larger species are mostly nestbrooding (making a nest of vegetation at the water surface), and the dwarfs mostly paternal mouthbrooding, but exceptions occur; the large '' C. barca'' is a paternal mouthbrooder and the dwarf ''C. bleheri'' is a free-spawner (the eggs float to the surface where the parents take care of them, but they do not mouthbrood or built a nest).

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of the genus ''Channa'' is incomplete, and a comprehensive revision of the family has not been performed. A

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

study in 2010 has indicated the likelihood of the existence of

undescribed species In taxonomy, an undescribed taxon is a taxon (for example, a species) that has been discovered, but not yet formally described and named. The various Nomenclature Codes specify the requirements for a new taxon to be validly described and named. U ...

of channids in Southeast Asia,Adamson, E.A.S., Hurwood, D.A. & Mather, P.B. (2010)
A reappraisal of the evolution of Asian snakehead fishes (Pisces, Channidae) using molecular data from multiple genes and fossil calibration.
''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 56 (2): 707–717.'' and a more comprehensive phylogenetic study in 2017 indicated that several undescribed species exist in Asia (as well as an undescribed '' Parachanna'' in Africa).Conte-Grand, C., Britz, R., Dahanukar, N., Raghavan, R., Pethi-yagoda, R., Tan, H.H., Hadiaty, R.K., Yaakob, N.S. & Rüber, L. (2017). Barcoding snakeheads (Teleostei, Channidae) re-visited: Discovering greater species diversity and resolving perpetuated taxonomic confusions. PLoS ONE, 12 (9): e0184017. In 2011, the Malabar snakehead ''Channa diplogramma'' from peninsular India was shown to be a distinct species, 146 years after its initial description and 134 years after it was synonymised with ''C. micropeltes'', establishing it is an endemic species of peninsular India. The study also suggested that the species shared a most recent common ancestor with ''C. micropeltes'', around 9.52 to 21.76 MYA.Benziger, A., Philip, S., Raghavan, R., Ali, P.H.A., Sukumaran, M., Tharian, J.C., Dahanukar, N., Baby, F., Peter, R., Rema Devi, K., Radhakrishnan, K.V., Haniffa, M.A., Britz, R. & Antunes, A. (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.''Li, X., Musikasinthorn, P. & Kumazawa, Y. (2006): Molecular phylogenetic analyses of snakeheads (Perciformes: Channidae) using mitochondrial DNA sequences. ''Ichthyological Research, 53 (2): 148-159.''

Species

Punkt-Schlangenkopf (Channa pleurophthalma) 4

Currently, 51 recognized species are placed in this genus: * ''

Channa amari ''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 extend ...

'' Dey et al., 2019 * '' Channa amphibeus'' (

McClelland McClelland is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alyssa McClelland, Australian actress * Charles A. McClelland (1917–2006), American political systems analyst * Charles P. McClelland (1854–1944), New York politician, and US ...

, 1845) (Borna snakehead) * '' Channa andrao''

Britz Britz () is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') within the Berlin borough (''Bezirk'') of Neukölln. History The village of ''Britzig'' was first mentioned in 1273. It was incorporated by the 1920 Greater Berlin Act. It is known for being the site ...

, 2013Britz, R. (2013): ''Channa andrao'', a new species of dwarf snakehead from West Bengal, India (Teleostei: Channidae). ''Zootaxa, 3731 (2): 287–294.'' * ''

Channa argus The northern snakehead (''Channa argus'') is a species of snakehead fish native to China, Russia, North Korea, and South Korea, ranging from the Amur River to Hainan. It has been introduced to other regions, where it is considered invasive. In ...

'' (

Cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

, 1842) (northern snakehead) *'' Channa aristonei'' * '' Channa asiatica'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1758) (small snakehead) * '' Channa aurantimaculata'' Musikasinthorn, 2000 * '' Channa aurantipectoralis'' Lalhlimpuia, Lalronunga & Lalramliana, 2016Lalhlimpuia, D.v., Lalronunga, S. & Lalramliana (2016): ''Channa aurantipectoralis'', a new species of snakehead from Mizoram, north-eastern India (Teleostei: Channidae). ''Zootaxa, 4147 (3): 343-350.'' * ''

Channa auroflammea ''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 gro ...

'' Adamson, Britz and S. Lieng, 2019 * ''

Channa aurolineata ''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 ...

'' ( F. Day, 1870) * ''

Channa bankanensis ''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 exte ...

'' ( Bleeker, 1853) * '' Channa baramensis'' ( Steindachner, 1901) * ''

Channa barca The Barca snakehead (''Channa barca'') is a rare species of Snakehead (fish), snakehead. It is Endemism, endemic to the upper Brahmaputra river basin in northeastern India and Bangladesh. Records from Nepal are of doubtful validity. Overall it ...

'' ( F. Hamilton, 1822) (barca snakehead) * '' Channa bipuli'' Praveenraj,

Uma Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi in ...

, Moulitharan & Bleher, 2018 * '' Channa bleheri'' Vierke, 1991 (rainbow snakehead) * '' Channa brahmacharyi''

Chakraborty Chakraborty is a surname of Bengali Hindus of India and Bangladesh, the surname is used by people of the Bengali Brahmin community. Notable persons with this surname Male *Ajay Chakraborty (born 1943), Indian politician *Ajoy Chakrabarty (born 1 ...

, Yardi &

Mukherjee Mukherjee, Mukerjee, Mookerjee, Mukerji, Mukherji, Mukhujje or Mookherjee is a Kulin Brahmin surname of the Hindu Religion, common among residents of the Indian state of West Bengal. The traditional Bengali version is ''Mukhopaddhae'', which is ...

, 2020 *'' Channa brunnea'' Praveenraj, Uma, Moulitharan & Kannan, 2019 * '' Channa burmanica'' B. L. Chaudhuri, 1919 * '' Channa cyanospilos'' ( Bleeker, 1853) * ''

Channa diplogramma The Malabar snakehead (''Channa diplogramma'') is a vulnerable species of snakehead from fresh water in the Western Ghats in India. Until 2011, its scientific name was usually considered to be a synonym of '' C. micropeltes'', the giant snakeh ...

'' ( F. Day, 1865) (Malabar snakehead) * '' Channa gachua'' ( F. Hamilton, 1822) (dwarf snakehead) * '' Channa harcourtbutleri'' ( Annandale, 1918) (Burmese snakehead) * '' Channa hoaluensis'' Nguyen, 2011 * '' Channa kelaartii'' (Günther, 1861) * '' Channa limbata'' (Cuvier, 1831) * '' Channa lipor'' Praveenraj, Uma, Moulitharan & Singh, 2019 * '' Channa longistomata'' (Nguyen & Nguyen, 2012) * ''

Channa lucius The forest snakehead (''Channa lucius'') 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 in length. The forest snakehead ...

'' (G. Cuvier, 1831) * '' Channa maculata'' ( Lacépède, 1801) (blotched snakehead) * '' Channa marulioides'' ( Bleeker, 1851) (emperor snakehead) * '' Channa marulius'' (F. Hamilton, 1822) (great snakehead) * '' Channa melanoptera'' (Bleeker, 1855) * '' Channa melanostigma'' Geetakumari & Vishwanath, 2011Geetakumari, K. & Vishwanath, W. (2011): ''Channa melanostigma'', a new species of freshwater snakehead from north-east India (Teleostei: Channidae). ''Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 107 (3): 231-235.'' * ''

Channa melasoma The black snakehead (''Channa melasoma'') is a species of snakehead (fish), snakehead native to Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore. This commercially important species reaches a length of . The Black Snakehead inhabits lar ...

'' ( Bleeker, 1851) (black snakehead) * '' Channa micropeltes'' ( G. Cuvier, 1831) (giant snakehead) * '' Channa ninhbinhensis'' V. H. Nguyễn, 2011Nguyen, V.H. (2011): Two new species belong to genus ''Channa'' (Channidae, Perciformes) discovered in Ninh Binh province, Vietnam. ''Vietnam Journal of Biology, 33 (4): 8-17.'' * '' Channa nox'' C. G. Zhang, Musikasinthorn &

Watanabe Watanabe ( and other variantsSee #Miscellaneous) is a Japanese surname derived from the noble and samurai Watanabe clan, a branch of the Minamoto clan, descending from the Emperor Saga (786-842), the 52nd Emperor of Japan, and refers to a loca ...

, 2002 (night snakehead) * ''

Channa orientalis The Ceylon snakehead (''Channa orientalis'') is a species of snakehead found in freshwater habitats, typically shaded streams, in southwestern Sri Lanka (although occasionally claimed to occur in other countries, this is misidentifications of r ...

'' Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801 (Ceylon snakehead) * '' Channa ornatipinnis''

, 2008 * '' Channa panaw'' Musikasinthorn, 1998 (Panaw snakehead) * '' Channa pardalis''

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

, 2016Knight, J.D.M. (2016): ''Channa pardalis'', a new species of snakehead (Teleostei: Channidae) from Meghalaya, northeastern India. ''Journal of Threatened Taxa, 8 (3): 8583-8589.'' * ''

Channa pleurophthalma ''Channa pleurophthalma'', the ocellated snakehead is a species of Southeast Asian freshwater fish in the snakehead family. Description ''Channa pleurophthalma'' can reach a length of about . The body is cylindrical, laterally flattened and has ...

'' (Bleeker, 1851) * '' Channa pomanensis'' Gurumayum & Tamang, 2016 * '' Channa pseudomarulius'' (Günther, 1861) * '' Channa pulchra''

, 2007 * '' Channa punctata'' ( Bloch, 1793) (spotted snakehead) * '' Channa quinquefasciata'' Praveenraj et al., 2018 *'' Channa rara'' Britz ''et al.'', 2019 *'' Channa royi'' Praveenraj ''et al.'', 2018 (Andaman emerald snakehead) — likely a synonym of ''C. harcourtbutleri'' * '' Channa shingon'' M. Endruweit, 2017) * '' Channa stewartii'' ( Playfair ( fr), 1867) (Assamese snakehead) * '' Channa stiktos'' Lalramliana, Knight, Lalhlimpuia & Singh, 2018 * ''

Channa striata ''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 h ...

'' (Bloch, 1793) (striped snakehead) * '' Channa torsaensis'' Dey, Nur, Raychowdhury, Sarkar, Singh & Barat, 2018 (cobalt blue snakehead)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q618552 Channidae Fish of Asia Freshwater fish genera Taxa named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli