Channa punctata

Spotted snakehead
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anabantiformes
Family:	Channidae
Genus:	Channa
Species:	C. punctata
Binomial name
	Channa punctata; (Bloch, 1793)
Synonyms[2]
	Ophicephalus punctatus Bloch, 1793; Ophicephalus karruwey Lacépède, 1801; Ophiocephalus lata Hamilton, 1822; Ophicephalus indicus McClelland, 1842; Ophiocephalus affinis Günther, 1861;

Channa punctata, the spotted snakehead, is a species of snakehead. It is found in the Indian Subcontinent and nearby areas, ranging across Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Tibet.[2] Its natural habitats are swamps, ponds and brackish water systems.[2] It is a fish of high food value and has little value as aquarium fish.

Description

Channa punctatus normally grows to around 15.0 cm (5.9 in) in length, but males up to 31.0 cm (12.2 in) have also been captured.[2] The spotted snakehead is listed as Least Concern in IUCN, due to lack of major threats to this species populations.[1]

The species is mainly a carnivore. Favorite food of this species is other small fishes yolk flies and fish larvae. In its natural habitat, it consumes crustaceans, molluscs, insects, small fishes, semi-digested materials and sometimes plants. Its feeding habit changes seasonally. The intensity of feeding is low in mature fishes during the spawning period. Juvenile fish has constant habit of food.[3]

References

Chaudhry, S.; de Alwis Goonatilake, S.; Fernado, M. & Kotagama, O. (2019). "SPOTTED SNAKEHEAD". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T166437A60584432. Retrieved 24 December 2019.|volume= / |date= mismatch
Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). Channa punctata in FishBase. February 2014 version.
AS Bhuiyan, S Afroz, T Zaman (2006). "Bhuiyan, A.S., Afroz, S. and Zaman, T., 2006. Food and feeding habit of the juvenile and adult snake head, Channa punctatus (Bloch)". J. Life Earth Sci. 1 (2): 53–54.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

"Channa punctata". fl.biology.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
"Spotted snakehead - Channa punctata". aquaticcommunity.com. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
"Biodiversity of Sri Lanka: Freshwater Fish diversity of Sri Lanka". biodiversityofsrilanka.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2015-02-05.

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[iucn-1] Chaudhry, S.; de Alwis Goonatilake, S.; Fernado, M. & Kotagama, O. (2019). "SPOTTED SNAKEHEAD". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T166437A60584432. Retrieved 24 December 2019.|volume= / |date= mismatch

[FishBase-2] Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). Channa punctata in FishBase. February 2014 version.

[3] AS Bhuiyan, S Afroz, T Zaman (2006). "Bhuiyan, A.S., Afroz, S. and Zaman, T., 2006. Food and feeding habit of the juvenile and adult snake head, Channa punctatus (Bloch)". J. Life Earth Sci. 1 (2): 53–54.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)