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Perciformes: Channidae

Channa argus (Cantor, 1842)

Genus Channa Scopoli, 1777

‘Catalog of Fishes’ synonyms

FishBase species summary

Synonyms:

Vernacular names:

Etymology:

Generic name ‘Channa’ derives from the Greek word ‘channe’ = anchovy; the generic gender is feminine.

Size / Weight:

max. TL 850 mm (Baensch & Riehl, 1985)

Overwintering in silt and mud; gonadal organs ripening starts in April, spawning occurs in May-June; 8,484-27,894 ova with a diameter of 1.61 mm; samples collected in Shandong province, E China, SL 171.8-415 mm (Cheng & Zhou, 1997).

Diagnosis:

Pelvics present; head narrow (interorbital space ≤25% of HL); scales on head dorsally and laterally small; dorsal fin rays 47-50; dorsal origin before anal origin; anal fin rays 31-36; lateral line scales 60-66; no blotches on peduncle; frequently confused with Ch. maculata (Lacepède, 1801).

Sex differentiation:

no characters know; females might grow larger.

Distribution:

Inhabiting muddy and weedy bottom of lakes and rivers; native to the Amur basin (= Heilongjiang), Russia, to all major water drainages in mainland China, South Korea, North Korea.

Key of the Channa species occurring in China

Key of the Channa species occurring in China

Introduced worldwide elsewhere and considered a pest due to adverse effects on autothonous aquatic fauna.

Ecology:

Singly; demersal; syntop with various autothonous cyprinids, cobitids and gobiids in EW-CN 52-08 Jiayuezhen, Zhucheng, Shandong, E China, lacustrine water system with very low water movement; lurking in weedy sections close to substratum (ME, 2008-2009, pers. obs.).

Carnivorous, piscivorous; seem to primarily prey upon abundant Pseudorasbora parva (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) (ME, 2008, pers. obs.). 

Conservation status:

IUCN Red List not evaluated.

Aquarium maintenance:

Maintenance in aquaria easy; requires large tanks with a min. length of 150 cm; need plentiful supply of feeder fish; not bred yet in home tank.

Remarks:

Import restriction for certain US provinces due to potential pest.

There are three subspecies considered valid; Ch. argus argus (Cantor, 1842), Ch. a. pekinensis Basilewsky, 1855 and Ch. a. warpachowskii Berg, 1909.

Important food fish for human consumption; buoyant flesh; few spines; large scale bred in aquaculture, China.

Figure 1. Channa argus: young fish, lateral view, obtained 2006-08-06, E-CN 31-06, Shanghai, China.

Figure 4. EWW-CN 55-09; biotope of Channa argus, Jiayuezhen, Zhucheng, Shandong, E China.

Figure 3. Channa argus: adult fish, lateral cephalic view, obtained 2008-08-03, EW-CN 52-09, Jiayuezhen, Zhucheng, Shandong, E China.

Figure 5. Channa argus: young fish, lateral view, obtained 2006-07-30, EZ-CN 25-06, CaoZhaiZhen, Zhejiang, SE China.

Ch. argus and Ch. maculata seem to be sibling species.

Figure 6. Channa argus: young fish, lateral view, yawning, obtained 2006-08-06, E-CN 31-06, Shanghai, SE China.

Figure 7. Channa argus: peduncle, lateral view, bar on caudal peduncle is autapomorphic character of Ch. argus, caught 2009-06-21, ECSSSY-CN 58-09, Jihongtan, Shandong, China.

Figure 8. Channa argus: 375 mm TL, lateral view, caught 2009-06-21, ECSSSY-CN 58-09, Jihongtan, Shandong, China.

Figure 2. Biotopes of Channa argus: ◊ (red hollow rhomb);

ECSSSY-CN 58-09 Jihongtan (棘洪滩), Qingdao, Shandong, E China.

◊

◊

◊

EW-CN 52-09, Jiayuezhen, Zhucheng, Shandong, E China.

EWW-CN 55-09, Jiayuezhen, Zhucheng, Shandong, E China.

EZ-CN 25-06, CaoZhaiZhen, Zhejiang, SE China.

E-CN 31-06, Shanghai, SE China.

ECSSSY-CN 59-09 Yinhuangjiqing (引黄济青), Qingdao, Shandong, E China.

31

25

52, 55, 58, 59, 61

Figure 9. Biotope of Channa argus: EW-CN 61-09, fingerlings hunting below surface, picture taken 2009-10-14, Jiayuezhen, Zhucheng, Shandong, China.

EW-CN 61-09, Jiayuezhen, Zhucheng, Shandong, E China.

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