Channa punctata
Species of fish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
| Spotted snakehead | |
|---|---|
| |
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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] | |
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]
