Channa gachua

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Dwarf snakehead

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Channidae
Genus:	Channa
Species:	*C. gachua*

Binomial name

Channa gachua
(Hamilton, 1822)

Channa gachua is a species of snakehead. It is one of the smallest species of snakehead and has a length of 20 cm. It gave its name to the aquarist's term dwarf snakeheads to denote the smaller Channa species

Channa bleheri
Channa burmanica
Channa harcourtbutleri
Channa orientalis
Channa stewartii

It can be found in Asian countries from Pakistan to Indonesia. Modern ichthyology considers this fish to be a species complex, i.e. that it consists of several closely related species. Because of its pretty coloration and small size, it is an attractive fish and is commonly kept in aquaria. It is a mouthbrooder and eats a wide range of foods including insects, small fish but no animals like frogs. It is a hardy fish that can tolerate large changes in temperature and acidity.

Channa gachua is often confused with Channa orientalis an endemic species from Sri Lanka. In Indian ichthyology, Channa gachua is considered to be a junior synomym of Channa orientalis, because it was described by Markus Elieser Bloch 20 years before Hamilton described Channa gachua. The major morphological difference between the two species is that Channa gachua has ventral fins and Channa orientalis does not. Besides that there are many differences in their breeding behavior, like the number of offspring and others.

Channa gachua can also hardly be distinguished from another closely related Channa species called Channa harcourtbutleri inhabiting Lake Inlé in Myanmar.