Channa (other)

''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.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 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, 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 study in 2010 has indicated the likelihood of the existence of undescribed species 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

Currently, 51 recognized species are placed in this genus:

* '' Channa amari'' Dey et al., 2019
* ''Channa amphibeus'' ( McClelland, 1845) (Borna snakehead)
* '' Channa andrao'' Britz, 2013Britz, R. (2013): ''Channa andrao'', a new species of dwarf snakehead from West Bengal, India (Teleostei: Channidae). ''Zootaxa, 3731 (2): 287–294.''
* '' Channa ara'' ( Deraniyagala, 1945)
* '' Channa argus'' ( Cantor, 1842) (northern snakehead)
*''Channa aristonei''
* ''Channa asiatica'' ( Linnaeus, 1758) (small snakehead)
* '' Channa aurantimaculata'' Musikasinthorn, 2000 (orange-spotted snakehead)
* '' 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'' Adamson, Britz and S. Lieng, 2019
* '' Channa aurolineata'' ( F. Day, 1870)
* '' Channa bankanensis'' (Bleeker'' (Steindachner, 1901)
* '' Channa barca'' ( F. Hamilton, 1822) (barca snakehead)
* ''Channa bipuli'' Praveenraj, Uma, Moulitharan & Bleher, 2018
* '' Channa bleheri'' Vierke, 1991 (rainbow snakehead)
* '' Channa brahmacharyi'' Chakraborty, Yardi & Mukherjee, 2020
*''Channa brunnea'' Praveenraj, Uma, Moulitharan & Kannan, 2019
* ''Channa burmanica'' B. L. Chaudhuri, 1919
* ''Channa cyanospilos'' (Bleeker

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