Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anabantiformes (Gouramies, snakeheads) >
Channidae (Snakeheads)
Etymology: Channa: Greek, channe, -es = an anchovy (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Subtropical; 4°C - 22°C (Ref. 2060); 54°N - 25°N, 111°E - 141°E
Asia: Amur southward to Xi Jiang and Hainan Island, China (Ref. 82587). Introduced elsewhere. Japan (Ref. 6094) and the USA (Ref. 51238) report adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 30.0  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 56557); max. published weight: 8.0 kg (Ref. 56557)
Obligate air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Can stay out of the water for 3 to 4 days at temperatures ranging from 10 to 15°C (Ref. 37350). Is a typical ambush predator that lies in wait for its prey on the bottom. Hunts mainly in the morning and in the evening, feeding primarily on fish (Ref. 12569). Matures at the age of 2 years and length of 30 cm. Spawns in June and July (Ref. 56557). Eggs are pelagic. Utilized for human consumption.
Bogutskaya, N.G., A.M. Naseka, S.V. Shedko, E.D. Vasil'eva and I.A. Chereshnev, 2008. The fishes of the Amur River: updated check-list and zoogeography. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 19(4):301-366. (Ref. 82587)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Potential pest (Ref. 45309)
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: public aquariums
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00776 (0.00496 - 0.01215), b=3.00 (2.87 - 3.13), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.4 ±0.3 se; based on diet studies.
Generation time: 8.5 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 2
growth studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): High vulnerability (62 of 100).