Channa striata

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Snakehead murrel

Chiana striata, after Bleeker, 1879

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

Binomial name

Channa striata
(Bloch, 1793)

The snakehead murrel, Channa striata, is a species of snakehead. It is also known as the common snakehead, chevron snakehead, striped snakehead and aruan, and has also been classified under the binomial names Ophiocephalus striatus Bloch and Ophiocephalus vagus Peters.^[1]

Distribution of Channa striata. Source: USGS 2004^[1]

It grows up to 1 m in length, though because of fishing this size is not found in the wild. It has a widespread range covering southern China, Pakistan, most of India, southern Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and most of South-east Asia. It has more recently been introduced to the outmost parts of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Mauritius. Reports beginning in the early 20th century that it was introduced into the wild in Hawaii, particularly the island of Oahu, are the apparent result of misidentifications, according to a publication.^[2] The only currently confirmed Hawaiian establishment of C. striata is on a commercial fish farm. Popular media and the US Fish and Wildlife Service were perpetuating this apparent mistake as recently as 2002.^[3]^[4] Early- to mid-20th century reports and texts referring to its introduction in California appear to be the result of a misunderstanding.^[5]

It is an important food fish in its native range and is of considerable economic importance. Adults are dark brown in colour with faint black bands visible across its entire body. Males and female both help to construct a nest out of water vegetation during breeding time and the eggs are guarded by the male.

It is common in freshwater plains, where it migrates from rivers and lakes into flooded fields, returning to the permanent water bodies in the dry season, where it survives by burrowing in the mud.

[edit] References

Channa striata (TSN 166667). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 18 April 2006.
"Channa striata". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.

^ ^a ^b Courtenay, Jr., Walter R. and James D. Williams. Channa striata USGS Circular 1251: Snakeheads (Pisces, Chinnidae) - A Biological Synopsis and Risk Assessment. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. 2004-04-01. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
^ Walter R. Courtenay, Jr., James D. Williams, Ralf Britz, Mike N. Yamamoto, and Paul V. Loiselle. Bishop Occasional Papers, 2004. [1] Identity of Introduced Snakeheads (Pisces, Channidae) in Hawaii and Madagascar, with Comments on Ecological Concerns.
^ Akana-Gooch, Keiko Kiele. Hawaii snakehead lacks ferocity of mainland kin: A kinder, gentler fish, it poses no local threat to the environment. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 2002-07-28. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
^ Federal Register: July 26, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 144). Federal Register Online. 2002-07-26. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
^ Dill, William A., and Almo J. Cordone. Chevron snakehead, Channa striata (Bloch) History and status of introduced fishes in California, 1871-1996. Retrieved 2007-07-15.