Channa striata

Geographic Range

Channa striata is native to east and southeast Asia. It is found from the Indus drainage in Pakistan east through India, Sri Lanka, southern Nepal, possibly Bhutan, Bangladesh, southern China, and all the nations of southeast Asia. It is also native to the major western islands of the Malay Archipelago, including Sumatra, Borneo, and Java. The species has been introduced to the eastern islands of Indonesia, including the Philippines, and to New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Fiji. It is also reported to have been introduced to South Korea and southeastern Russia. There are or were introduced populations on Oahu in Hawaii and on Madagascar, but according to the USGS report of 2004, the identification of these populations has been questioned, they may be or have been populations of Channa maculata , not Channa striata .

• Biogeographic Regions
• palearctic palearctic
  • native native
• oriental oriental
  • introduced introduced
  • native native
• pacific ocean pacific ocean
  • introduced introduced

Habitat

Channa striata occurs mainly in shallow freshwater habitats, typically at depths of 1-2 m, rarely below 10 meters. This species can be found in most types of slow-moving freshwater habitat, including rivers, lakes, ponds, canals, creeks, flooded rice paddies, irrigation reservoirs, and swamps. Compared to most freshwater fish it is quite tolerant of turbid conditions and low oxygen levels. In regions with rainy and dry seasons, these fish may migrate out from permanent lakes and streams into flooded areas during the rainy season, and then return to permanent waters as the flooded areas dry.

• Habitat Regions
• tropical tropical
• freshwater freshwater

• Aquatic Biomes
• lakes and ponds
• rivers and streams

• Wetlands
• marsh marsh
• swamp swamp

• Other Habitat Features
• agricultural agricultural

Physical Description

The striped snakehead has a long body characterized with dark black-brown on the upper section of its body, and bands of a white on its belly. The striped snakehead can reach lengths up to 90cm and up to 3 kg - growth studies report they reach an average body mass is reported as 60g by 12 weeks past the fingerling stage. The female striped snakehead is larger than the male. As juveniles, the striped snakehead has a tan coloring with dark brown stripes. Striped snakeheads have a long dorsal fin, a pectoral fin, a pelvic fin that is almost directly under the pectoral fin, and a long anal fin. They also have large mouths with sharp visible teeth with 4-7 canines, located on the bottom row of their mouths. Species in the family Channidae have relatively wide heads with large scales that have been compared to that of snakes, which is why they were given their name "snakeheads."

• Other Physical Features
• ectothermic ectothermic
• heterothermic heterothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• female larger

Development

An experiment by Yaakob and Ali (1992) observed the development of the striped snakehead. In the study, 20 individuals were placed in concrete tanks to observe the number of offspring produced. After spawning, the eggs floated to the top of the tank because they contained high amounts of lipids. After 1 to 2 hours, the fertilized pale yellow eggs developed a black spot in the center, while the unfertilized eggs turned white. Next the fertilized eggs hatched after 1 day, and the larvae were described as having dark pigmentation. Finally after 10 days post-hatching the larvae gradually turned orange and became more independent. Once the larvae began to stray away from their school, the parents were removed from the tank to prevent cannibalism.

Reproduction

The striped snakehead is mainly a solitary fish except during spawning season. In its native habitat, spawning occurs June through August (southwest monsoon) and October through December (northeast monsoon). The striped snakehead is a monogamous fish, because it keeps the same mate throughout the year. Although there are no published reports on mating behaviors in the wild, the mating behaviors of this species were observed in a captive study by Marimuthu et al. (2013). To induce mating behaviors the fish were injected with hormones (pituitary extract HCG). In the beginning of the study two males were placed in one tank with a female. Next, of the two males, the active male moved below the female, facing in the opposite direction, which then led to the pair making slow upward and downward motions. This was estimated to take place at 10 to 20cm below the surface. The male and female jumped frequently above the water surface and out of the breeding tank to estimated heights of 30 to 90cm. It was also found in the study that the males are very involved in the courtship of the females. They exhibit this activity by hitting the snout and the vent of the female frequently, while gametes are being released. Also in the study, one of the males placed in the tank with the female is exiled during courtship so that they are not disturbed.

• Mating System
• monogamous monogamous

The striped snakehead reproduces up to two times per year, during the periods of the southwest and the northeast monsoon in flooded rivers and ponds. During their spawning period, the striped snakehead can produce up to 4,000 eggs. Once the eggs have been produced, if vegetation is present, parents will use this to build a nest for the fertilized eggs. An experiment by Yaakob and Ali (1992) observed the development of the striped snakehead in captivity. In part of the experiment the mating pair were given a hormone to induce mating. The offspring of the mating pair hatched within 28 hours and achieved sexual maturity in 35 days. This occurred around the time that they became independent and were separated by their parents.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• fertilization fertilization
  • external external
• oviparous oviparous

Parental investment is an important part of spawning and reproduction in the striped snakehead. From the point of fertilization until the time the young reach the fingerling stage (15-20cm), the striped snakehead behaves aggressively to protect their young. Both parents participate in caring for their young, but there is always one parent who guards the eggs at all times. It is unknown which parent guards the eggs more often. Although the striped snakehead invests a great amount of care for their young when food becomes scarce the parents will eat their young in order to survive.

• Parental Investment
• male parental care male parental care
• female parental care female parental care
• pre-hatching/birth
  • protecting
    • male
    • female
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • protecting
    • male
    • female
• pre-independence
  • protecting
    • male
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

There is not enough information or research completed to know the lifespan of the striped snakehead. Studies of the related species Channa argus (northern snakehead) report lifespans in the wild to be 7 years or more.

Behavior

Channa striata is a solitary, territorial fish. Some populations migrate between permanent waters and flooded areas created by seasonal rains. These fish are capable of limited movement overland by the use of a wriggling motion, which they use to disperse to new bodies of water on rainy nights. When the striped snakehead is unable to relocate from drying habitats during dry season, they can survive by burrowing in the bottom of mud lakes, canals, and swamps to keep their skin and breathing apparatus moist. The striped snakehead can breath air from the surface of the water, and so is able to survive in waters that have low levels of oxygen.

• Key Behaviors
• natatorial natatorial
• motile motile
• migratory migratory
• sedentary sedentary
• solitary solitary
• territorial territorial

Home Range

No information could be found concerning the home range of the striped snakehead.

Communication and Perception

Channa striata have eyes and can see, but given the turbid habitats they live in, they may also use other senses to find prey and mates. Like all fish they can detect chemicals in the water, and like many ray-finned fishes they have a lateral line system that detects small changes in water pressure that allow that give them awareness of objects moving in the water around them. They may locate potential mates with pheromones or other chemical signals, but this has not been documented.

• Communication Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• chemical chemical

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• vibrations vibrations
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Channa striata is a predacious, ambush feeding fish that has a carnivorous - specifically piscivorous - diet. It is a generalist species that preys on any available source of food that is attainable. As young fish, also known as a fry, the striped snakehead hunts in groups with their main source of food being zooplankton and small insects. Once the young fry become adults, they begin to hunt on their own, feeding on other adult fish, and the progeny of those fish. They can also feed on frogs, snakes, insects, earthworms, tadpoles, birds, small mammals, and crustaceans. When food sources become limited, adult snakeheads may feed on young of their own species.

• Primary Diet
• carnivore carnivore
  • piscivore piscivore
  • insectivore insectivore
  • eats non-insect arthropods

• Animal Foods
• birds
• mammals
• amphibians
• reptiles
• fish
• insects
• terrestrial worms
• aquatic crustaceans
• zooplankton zooplankton

Predation

No specific information could be found on species that prey on striped snakehead except for humans Homo sapiens . It is likely that any large fish-eating predator in their habitats might prey on them, such as larger fish, birds, crocodilians, turtles, otters, etc. Channa eggs and fry are small enough to be attacked by aquatic invertebrate predators too, such as dragonfly nymphs ( Odonata ) or predaceous diving bugs ( Belostomatidae ), if not protected by their parent.

The coloration pattern of these fish is probably cryptic, but this has not been shown experimentally.

• Anti-predator Adaptations
• cryptic cryptic

Ecosystem Roles

Channa striata is host to a number of parasite species. One of special concern is the nematode Gnathostoma spinigerum . This roundworm uses the striped snakehead as a intermediate host. Larvae of G. spinigerum infect copepods that are an important food source for juvenile snakeheads. The larval nematodes survive consumption by the fish, and encyst in fish tissues, particularly muscles. If uncooked snakeheads are consumed by humans, the larvae will also survive and migrate through tissues. The definitive host for these worms are canines and felines . Only in the stomach of one of these mammal species can the worm mature and reproduce.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

The striped snakehead is cultivated to be an important food source for India, southeastern Asia, China, and parts of Africa. Due to its availability and affordability, the striped snakehead is a suitable food source of all economic classes. In some communities striped snakehead is also used for traditional medicinal purposes. It is believed that consumption of the striped snakehead provides healing powers, because of its ability to live out of water for several days as long as their skin stays moist. Some cultures use snakehead muscle tissue and oils to heal wounds, prevent scarring, and administer it to those recovering from surgery or sickness. Additionally, the striped snakehead is used as an aquarium fish and to control densities of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus .

• Positive Impacts
• pet trade pet trade
• food food
• source of medicine or drug source of medicine or drug

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

Despite the economic importance of the striped snakehead as a source of food consuming the fish can be risky. The striped snakehead is a host for a parasitic nematode, Gnathostoma spinigerum , which can be contracted if meat is not properly prepared. In humans, it can cause gnathostomiasis, a disease that can be lethal if untreated. An additional negative effect that could caused by the presence of exotic striped snakehead introduced outside their native range is ecological damage to native fisheries.

• Negative Impacts
• injures humans
  • carries human disease

Conservation Status

Currently, the striped snakehead has a conservation status of "least concern," meaning that there is not an immediate need for conservation strategies. However, there are still various unknown factors concerning the genetic status of this species, and it's been suggested that the current species is actually a group of several species. Therefore, further genetic research must be completed to gain knowledge of the species (or multiple species) before its conservation status can be updated.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Kirsten Martin (author), Radford University, Karen Powers (editor), Radford University, George Hammond (editor), Animal Diversity Web Staff.

References

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