Channa lucius

(Cuvier, 1831)

Vernacular names
English : Forest snakehead, Javanese snakehead
French : Tête-de-serpent des forêts

Classification
Class : Teleostei
Order : Anabantiformes (sometimes still Perciformes)
Family : Channidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Large snakehead species growing to 52 cm in length. Similar to C. bankanensis but with more elongated head and much bigger size. Coloration greyish to yellow-beige with row of dark blotches on flanks and darker back. Dark broad temporal band and round blotch on gill coverts. Dorsal, caudal and anal fins featuring bands and stripes (not dots like C. bankanensis).

Range and habitat
The species lives in southeast Asia, from Thailand, Laos and Cambodia to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and possibly west Java, although it might be extinct there. It is found in rivers, swamps and particularly in forest streams with submerged vegetation.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species is widely distributed and abundant throughout its range. Although it might face local threats from fisheries, it is believed that the species isn’t likely to be globally threatened anytime soon.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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