Channa striata (Bloch, 1793) Chevron Snakehead

Channa striata (Bloch, 1793) 

Chevron Snakehead 

After Bloch, 1793; image reversed from original pl. 359 

After Munro, 1955; juvenile 

Note “pseudo-ocellus” on posterior lobe of dorsal fin, a juvenile characteristic (Lee and Ng, 1991). 

After Bleeker, 1879 

Original description: Ophicephalus striatus Bloch, 1793:141, pl. 359. Naturgeschichte der Ausländischen Fische, 

7:I-xiv + 1-144, pls. 325-360. Type locality: Malabar, southwestern India. Syntypes: ZMB 1400; ZMB 6522. 

Synonyms: Ophiocephalus wrahl Lacepède, 1801:552. 

Ophiocephalus wrahl Hamilton, 1822:60, 367, pl. 31. 

Ophiocephalus chena Hamilton, 1822:62, 367. 

Ophicephalus planiceps Cuvier, 1831:424. 

Ophicephalus sowarah Bleeker, 1845. 

Ophiocephalus vagus Peters, 1868:260. 

Ophiocephalus philippinus Peters, 1868:262. 

(?)Ophiocephalus melanopterus Smith and Seale, 1906. 

115

Common names: chevron snakehead; striped snakehead; banded snakehead; common snakehead; soali (Pakistan); 

murrel (India); haal, shawl, shol (Assam, India); shol (West Bengal, India); morrul, morl, soura (Bihar, India); sowl, 

dhoali, carrodh (Punjab, India); dolla (Jammu, India); sola (Orissa, India); korramennu, korra-matta (Andhra 

Pradesh, India); sowrah, veralu, kaunan (Kerala, India); pooli-kuchi, koochinamarl (Karnataka, India); sohr, dekhu 

(Mararashtra, India); hal path maha, lulla (Sinhalese, Sri Lanka); viral (Tamil, Sri Lanka); pla chon or pla chorn 

(Thailand); trey phtuok (juveniles) and trey raws (adults; Cambodia); ikan aruan, haruan, ruan, tomam paya 

(Malaysia); gabus (Java); delak, gabus, telak (Kalimantan), cá lóc (Vietnam); dalag, dalak (Tagalog or Moro, 

Philippines); bakule or bulig (young; Tagalog or Moro, Philippines); pongee (Hawaii, although that name is a general 

name for snakeheads; Mike Yamamoto, personal commun., 2003). 

Native range: Pakistan (Indus River basin; 

Mirza, 1975), most drainages of India, southern Nepal 

(Koshi, Gandaki, and Karnali River basins; Shrestha, 

1990), Sri Lanka (Mendis and Fernando, 1962; 

Fernando and Indrassna, 1969; Pethyagoda, 1991); 

Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, southern 

China, Malay Archipelago including Malaysia, 

Sumatra, Borneo (Pethiyagoda, 1991; Rainboth, 1996; 

Jayaram, 1999); Sabah (Inger and Kong, 1962); 

western Java (Giltay, 1933; Roberts, 1993); Vietnam, 

Laos (Yên and others, 1992; Kottelat, 2001a,b). This is 

an amazingly extensive "native" distribution for any 

freshwater fish, indicating that Channa striata is quite 

probably a species complex. 

Introduced range: Channa striata has been 

considered the most widely introduced species of 

snakehead. Various reports indicate it was released into 

Hawaii before 1900, established (Jordan and Evermann, 

1903; Cobb, 1905; Smith, 1907; Tinker, 1944; 

Brock, 1952, 1960); Madagascar, in 1978, established 

(Raminosoa, 1987; Reinthal and Stiassny, 1991; 

Stiassny and Raminosoa, 1994; Lévêque, 1998); 

Philippines, date unknown (Seale, 1908; Herre, 1924, 

1934; Conlu, 1986); Vogelkop Peninsula, Papua, Indonesia, 

probably during 1970s or 1980s, established 

(Allen, 1991) and identification confirmed by photographs 

provided by Gerald Allen (personal commun., 

2002); Sundaland, Sulawesi, Lesser Sundas, Moluccas, 

date unknown, established (Welcomme, 1981; Kotellat 

and others, 1993; Lever, 1996); Fiji, establishment 

questionable (Maciolek, 1984; Eldredge, 1994); 

Mauritius, established (Parameswaran and Goorah, 

1981; Welcomme, 1988; Lever, 1996); New Caledonia, 

establishment questionable (Maciolek, 1984); Guam, 

introduction unsuccessful (Maciolek, 1984; Eldredge, 

1994). Herre (1924) recorded the source of introduction 

into Hawaii as southern China. Kottelat and 

others (1993) reported some populations in China to 

have been introduced but gave no specific locations. 

116 

Its introduction into the Philippines probably occurred 

in the early to mid-1800s, indicated by two synonyms 

(Ophiocephalus vagus and O. philippinus) described 

from the Philippines by Peters (1868). Although 

Jayaram (1999) included Borneo in the native range of 

this species, Roberts (1989) hinted that its presence in 

western Borneo may have resulted from introductions. 

Ralf Britz (personal commun., 2002) has advised 

that reports of this species from Madagascar are in 

error, the result of misidentification of the blotched 

snakehead, Channa maculata. He also examined a 

specimen labeled as C. striata (USNM 126588), 

collected by Jordan and Evermann on Oahu, Hawaii, in 

1901, that was also C. maculata. Two specimens we 

borrowed from the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in 

Honolulu (BPBM 1759 and BPBM 3798), collected in 

the early 1900s on Oahu and labeled as C. striata, are 

C. maculata. Specimens borrowed from the California 

Academy of Sciences (CAS 17710, 1 specimen; CAS 

108133, 3 specimens) collected on Oahu also proved to 

be C. maculata and not C. striata. We are convinced 

that all early records of C. striata from Hawaii are 

misidentifications of C. maculata. Although most 

records for Hawaii cite establishment only on Oahu, 

Morita (1981) reported that it also occurred on Kauai. 

Channa striata is now present and established on Oahu 

but confined to a fish culture facility. The first imports 

of this species occurred in the early 1990s. It is likely 

that many identifications of C. striata on islands of the 

Indian and Pacific Oceans are in error and that 

C. maculata may prove to be more widely introduced 

than previously thought. 

Following publicity accompanying discovery of 

an established population in Maryland of northern 

snakehead, Channa argus, in June-July 2002, the lead 

investigator received an email message from an individual 

(Clifford Faik) in East Sepik Province, Papua 

New Guinea, who had seen the northern snakehead 

report on the CNN website. He stated that a similar 

snakehead was now present in rivers of Sepik Province.

Temperature regimes at that locality would preclude 

presence of northern snakehead, but is likely indicative 

that the chevron snakehead is the species involved, 

probably introduced from populations established in 

Papua, Indonesia. If so, this would be the first record of 

a snakehead from Papua New Guinea. 

Size: To 90 cm (Bardach and others, 1972); 

91.4 cm (Sen, 1985). Can attain a length of 30-36 cm 

in 1 year (Bhatt, 1970). Talwar and Jhingran (1992) 

stated that this species is sexually mature at 30 cm, but 

added that 2 years were required to reach that size. 

Murugesan (1978), however, recorded a growth rate 

of 1.3 to 3.0 mm/day for the first 3 months, slowing to 

0.3 to 0.9 mm/day thereafter. He also reported lengths 

of 25-27 cm in 13½ months and 23.4-31.7 cm in 9½ 

months in Kerala State, India; 32 cm in 2 years in West 

Bengal; and 30.5l cm in 2 years in Madras. In rivers of 

Uttar Pradesh, chevron snakeheads grew to 32 cm in 

2 years. 

Habitat preference: Freshwater ponds and 

streams, usually in stagnant muddy waters; primarily 

found on plains in India (Talwar and Jhingran, 1992). 

It occurs in reservoirs in Sri Lanka (Fernando and 

Indrassna, 1969). Nevertheless, in Malaysia this 

species is reported to exist in rivers, lakes, swamps, 

rice paddies, mining pools, and roadside ditches 

(Mohsin and Ambak, 1983; Lee and Ng, 1991). Ng 

and Lim (1990) listed this species from “open country 

areas,” adding that it is the primary snakehead in shallow 

waters (1 m or less) with dense vegetation. In 

India, it can be found in reservoirs and rice paddies 

(Jhingran, 1984). In Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, 

Rajasthan, north-central India, it may be found in 

open water to dense mats of aquatic vegetation (Kumar 

and Mittal, 1993). Herre (1924), Umali (1950), and 

Conlu, 1986) recorded it from lakes and lowland rivers 

in the Philippines, and its introduction to two crater 

lakes at an altitude about 1,050 m above sea level. 

Kottelat (1998) reported a preference for “standing 

waters.” Lee and Ng (1991) noted that this species 

seems to be the most adaptable snakehead, tolerating 

“quite foul water” and able to move overland. 

Channa striata is an obligate airbreather. Vivekanandan 

(1977a,b) stated that the breathing organ is 

developed in about 60 days during growth from a length 

of 1 to 4.5 cm at 26-28 ºC. Singh and others (1986) 

noted that at 28 ºC, this species breathes aquatically until 

18 to 20 days following hatching when young reach a 

length of 1.1-1.2 cm and, thereafter, becomes a bimodal 

breather. They measured a decrease in oxygen uptake 

through the gills and skin of almost 42 percent once 

bimodal respiration began. Pandian (1982) reported that 

fingerlings of this species spend up to 15 percent of the 

time in surfacing and related activities. 

Varma (1979) recorded a pH range for Channa 

striata of 4.25 to 9.40 with 100 percent survival over 

72 hours, and 90 percent survival at pH 3.10 for the 

same period. 

Temperature range: No specific information, 

but native range lies between about 32º N and 7º N, 

indicative of a fish that is temperate to tropical. 

Reproductive habits: Lee and Ng (1991) 

indicated the species as solitary except during spawning 

seasons. In India, pairs breed during most months of the 

year, laying a few hundred to more than 1,000 ambercolored 

eggs (Parameswaran and Murugesan, 1976a; 

Talwar and Jhingran, 1992). Peak spawning coincides 

with peak rainfall (Parameswaran and Murugesan, 

1976a). Howell (1913) said the eggs average about 

1.25 mm and are nonadhesive, hatching in 1 to 3 days. 

Females mature about 30 cm in length at about 2 years 

of age (Talwar and Jhingran, 1992; Ali, 1999). Parents 

clear a shallow depression by biting off aquatic vegetation 

(Ling, 1977). Nevertheless, Alikunhi (1953) 

remarked that Channa striata will spawn in the absence 

of vegetation. Eggs float to the surface after fertilization 

(Lee and Ng, 1991). The pelagic eggs are guarded by 

both parents in the Philippines (Lowe-McConnell, 

1987) and possibly throughout the native range of the 

species. Nevertheless, Herre (1924) stated that one or 

the other parent guards the nest at all times, and that if 

food becomes scarce, parents become cannibalistic on 

the young. He further indicated that in the Philippines, 

C. striata spawns throughout the year and that many, 

perhaps all, breed twice annually. Ali (1999) confirmed 

ripe females present throughout the year in ricefields in 

Perak, northwestern Malaysia. Peak spawning in southwestern 

Sri Lanka occurs between May and September, 

with a secondary spawning October through December 

(Kilambi, 1986). Jhingran (1984) cited fecundity as 

3,000-30,000 ova. Lee and Ng (1991) stated that they 

had collected fry without seeing parents nearby. They 

also said that eggs hatch in 3 days in Malaysia, the fry 

developing a deep orange color. This pattern persists 

until the young reach a length of 15 mm when only an 

orange lateral stripe remains. At 40 mm in length, all 

orange color is lost but a “pseudo-ocellus” appears on 

the posterior lobe of the dorsal fin, a characteristic lost 

in adulthood. Mookerjee and others (1948) described 

and illustrated early development of C. striata. 

117

Feeding habits: Carnivorous, feeding on worms, 

prawns, frogs, and especially other fishes (Mohsin and 

Ambak, 1983). Reported as a solitary (except during 

breeding season), territorial, ambush feeder (Lee and 

Ng, 1991). Conlu (1986) stated that young fry feed on 

algae and protozoans, juveniles feed on small crustaceans, 

and “adults are highly carnivorous, dreaded 

predators of other pond fish.” She added that this fish is 

used as a predator to control tilapias in culture ponds. 

Jhingran (1984) cited larvae as feeding “on insects, 

water fleas, and fish fry,” juveniles preferring “dipteran 

larvae, zooplankton, and fish fry,” and adults as “piscivorous.” 

Mahan and others (1978) reported that Channa 

striata (32 individuals ranging from 3.5 to 36.7 cm in 

length) fed almost exclusively on shrimp (47 percent by 

volume) in a lake in central Java. Dasgupta (2000) 

found that this snakehead consumed primarily insects 

(40 percent) followed by fishes (30 percent) and crustaceans 

(10 percent) in waters of West Bengal, India. Rao 

and others (1998) noted a preference for crustaceans 

and fishes from ponds and canals of East Godavari 

District, Andhra Pradesh, southeastern India. Ng and 

Lim (1990) described the enlarged canine teeth of 

C. striata as “cylindrical in cross section … ideal for 

gripping, killing, and tearing.” 

Characters: Gular region of head without patch 

of scales. Mouth large; lower jaw with 4-7 canines 

behind a single row of villiform teeth that widen to 6 

rows at the jaw symphysis; villiform teeth on prevomer 

and palatines. Pectoral fin about half of head length. 

Dorsal fin with 37-46 rays; anal fin rays 23-29; pectoral 

rays 15-17; pelvic rays 6; caudal fin rounded. Scales on 

top of head large with a rosette of head scales between 

orbits, with frontal head scales forming central plate of 

rosette; 9 scale rows between preopercular angle and 

posterior border of orbit; predorsal scales 18-20; scales 

50-57 in lateral series (Talwar and Jhingran, 1992). 

Coloration is quite variable in this species or species 

complex. The dorsum is often dark brown to black, 

typically obscuring the chevron-like markings dorsally. 

A distinguishing marking, however, is the dark stripe 

extending from just above the maxillary posteroventrally 

toward the opercular curvature. 

Commercial importance in the United States: 

Introduced population is utilized as a food resource in 

Hawaii (Maciolek, 1984), although the species 

involved was not Channa striata but C. maculata, the 

result of century-old misidentifications. In addition to 

live fish, several thousand metric tons of frozen snake- 

118 

heads are reported as being imported annually for food 

purposes into mainland United States. It is unknown 

how much of that market involves C. striata. 

During fiscal year 1999, the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture Small Business Innovation Research 

Program funded a Phase II project to the Hawaii Fish 

Company of Waialua, Hawaii, $230,000 for 24 months, 

to develop commercial culture of C. striata. Phase I 

research had established feasibility of rearing striped 

snakeheads in captivity, spawning, and studies on rearing 

juveniles on artificial diets. Phase II was targeted to 

production of larvae and juveniles through induced 

spawning, additional studies on feeding, and cost-effective 

grow-out performance to marketable size. Phase III 

was designed to result in a commercial effort to produce 

farm-raised snakeheads for Hawaii, mainland U.S., and 

Canada, and was to be funded ($300,000) by the 

Wah Wah Seafood Company, Inc., of Honolulu. Phase 

III, however, was never funded. 

In retrospect, importation of Channa striata to 

Hawaii is quite recent. Perhaps based on the belief that 

this species had been established in Hawaii for nearly a 

century, a permit was issued in the early 1990s to Arlo 

Fast of the University of Hawaii to import C. striata for 

culture research on Coconut Island in Kaneohe Bay. 

A second permit to import C. striata was issued to 

Dr. Fast in 1995 in cooperation with the person who 

currently cultures the species in a rockpit area at 

Mokuleia. The culturist had the only permit from the 

Hawaii Department of Agriculture to import C. striata 

with restrictions that sale to consumers must be of 

fresh-killed or cooked fish (Domingo Cravalho, Jr., 

personal commun., 2002). 

This species often appears in aquarist-oriented 

websites and has been sometimes listed for sale by 

commercial aquarium websites. Interest in its use as an 

aquarium fish seems to be limited due to the size it 

attains and its aggressive nature toward other fishes. 

On July 24, 2002, a specimen of Channa striata 

was purchased from a market in San Diego, California, 

where at least two other individuals of the same species 

were observed (Richard Rosenblatt and Phil Hastings, 

personal commun., 2002). All three were dead, on ice. 

The appearance of the specimen sent to us in a digital 

photograph seems to be of a freshly dead individual, 

with no cloudiness visible in the eye. 

Commercial importance in native range: 

Channa striata is reported as being cultivated in Pakistan 

and India. There is a “tank fishery” for this species 

in Tamil Nadu, India. Tanks in India and Sri Lanka are

“ancient irrigation reservoirs” (Fernando and Indrassna, 

1969). They stated that there were more than 1,000 

tanks in Sri Lanka alone. In India, the chevron snakehead 

is described as a popular and highly prized fish, 

widely distributed, and the most economically important 

species of the genus (Talwar and Jhingran, 1992). 

Channa striata is one of three species of snakeheads 

commercially fished in Lake Jaisamand, the oldest 

reservoir in India (Rao and Durve, 1989). Fernando 

and Inrassna (1969) stated that it is the only species of 

snakehead in Sri Lanka of economic value, although 

three additional species (C. gachua, C. marulius, and 

C. punctata) are used as food fishes. It is also cultured 

in Vietnam (Pantulu, 1976; Bard, 1991), Thailand, Java 

(Hofstede and others, 1953), and the Philippines (Guerrero, 

2000). Bard (1991) noted that this species is the 

most expensive fish produced by aquaculture in northern 

Vietnam. Ali (1999) cited it as “a popular food fish 

in Malaysia” remarking that ricefields have provided 

the largest source of this fish. Populations in Malaysia 

are reported to be depressed due, apparently, to overfishing, 

raising costs for live specimens. China is 

culturing C. striata and some of the product is being 

canned for sale in Malaysia (Wan Ahmad, personal 

commun., 2001). 

Lee and Ng (1991) cited this species as the most 

economically important member of the snakeheads 

and noted that it is cultured throughout most of its 

range. Hofstede and others (1953) cited this species as 

bringing “the highest prices at the markets” in Indonesia. 

It is sold either fresh or alive in Cambodian 

markets (Rainboth, 1996). In the Danau Sentarum 

Wildlife Reserve of Kalimantan, chevron snakehead 

comprised 13 percent of the setline fish catch using 

small (size 12-16) hooks from the Kapuas River 

(Dudley, 2000). 

Ng and Lim (1990) and Lee and Ng (1991) 

indicated that Channa striata, along with C. micropeltes 

and C. lucius, are utilized for medicinal purposes, 

particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia. Mention was 

made of use in a postnatal diet and during recuperation 

from illnesses or surgery (Lee and Ng, 1991). 

While no specifics were given as to how the fish were 

used following surgery, a neighbor of one of the 

authors (WRC), a Malaysian by birth, said that the 

oils from the “haruan” are used to greatly reduce scarring. 

She added that she had seen the results and “it is 

true” that scar tissue is dramatically reduced to a 

minimum. 

Cream extracts of haruan tissues contain high 

levels of arachidonic acid, a precursor of prostaglandin, 

essential amino acids (particularly glycine), and 

polyunsaturated fatty acids necessary to promote 

prostaglandin synthesis. Treating wounds with these 

extracts has been demonstrated to promote synthesis of 

collagen fibers better than standard use of Cetrimide, 

an antimicrobial quaternary ammonium compound, thus 

increasing tensile strength (Baie and Sheikh, 2000). 

Lee and Ng (1991) indicated that the flesh of 

these larger snakeheads is rejuvenating following 

illnesses, prepared by being double-boiled with herbs, 

and only the soup is consumed. Nevertheless, for the 

soup to be effective in recovery, it is firmly believed 

that the fish must be killed just before cooking, 

dispatched with careful but firm blows to the head with 

a mallet. Herre (1924) reported much the same for the 

Philippines. Conceivably, this could be a reason that 

obtaining live snakeheads in live-food fish markets is 

considered important to some persons of southeast 

Asian descent living in the United States. Seale (1908) 

cited this species "as one of the most wholesome fishes 

and are given to invalids" in India. 

Bard (1991) noted that Channa striata is 

cultured in Vietnam and is a highly desired and expensive 

fish in the markets of Hanoi, with a price/kg 

matching that of beef. 

Environmental concerns: Adults of this species 

are considered to be highly predacious, ambush feeders 

on other fishes. In addition, their adaptability to living 

in turbid or clear waters, their apparent ability to tolerate 

subtropical to warm temperate climates, suggests 

the probability of establishment if introduced into 

waters of the extreme southern U.S. The apparent northern 

limit within its native range (32° N) is equivalent to 

a potential range from Savannah, Georgia, to just north 

of Ensenada, Baja California del Norte, México, in 

North America. Temperature regimes in the southwestern 

U.S. would permit establishment well north of 32º 

N, probably as far north as the Los Angeles basin, California; 

Phoenix, Arizona; or Las Cruces, New Mexico. 

Comments: Banerjee and others (1988) 

recorded the diploid chromosome number of Channa 

striata from India as 40, but Donsakul and Magtoon 

(1991) reported a count of 44 for this species from 

Thailand, indicating that it represents a species 

complex. 

119

120 

60° N 

40° N 

20° N 

0° 

20° S 

40° E 60° E 80° E 100° E 120° E 140° E 160° E 180° E 

Turkey 

Syria 

Iraq 

Saudi 

Arabia 

Iran 

Madagascar 

Kazakhstan 

Afghanistan 

Pakistan 

Russia 

India 

INDIAN 

OCEAN 

EXPLANATION 

DISTRIBUTION OF Channa striata 

Native range 

Introduced range 

Nepal 

Bhutan 

Myanmar 

Bangladesh 

Mongolia 

China 

Laos 

Vietnam 

Thailand Cambodia 

Malaysia 

Indonesia Indonesia 

PACIFIC 

OCEAN 

0 2,000 MILES 

0 

North 

Korea 

South 

Korea 

Philippines 

Australia 

Distribution of Channa striata 

Japan 

New Guinea 

2,000 KILOMETERS 

Scale is approximate 

160°W 156°W 

22°N 

Oahu 

Hawaii 

20°N 

Pacific Ocean 

0 50 MILES 

0 50 KILOMETERS 

Equator 

New 

Caledonia 

See comments above under Introduced range, as some reports of C. striata on Indian Ocean (for 

example, Madagascar) and Pacific Islands (for example, Hawaii) are misidentifications of C. maculata that 

require further investigation. 

Fuji

Parachanna africana (Steindachner, 1879) 

Niger Snakehead 

Original description: Ophiocephalus africanus Steindachner 1879:31. Über einige neue und seltene Fischarten aus 

den zoologischen Museen zu Wien, Stuttgart und Warschau. Anz. Akad. Wiss. Wien. 16(4):29-34. Type locality: 

Lagos, Nigeria. Holotype: SMNS (no number provided). 

Synonyms: Channa africanus (Steindachner, 1879). 

Parophiocephalus africanus (Steindachner, 1879). 

Common names: Niger snakehead; African snakehead. 

Native range: Southern Bénin to southern 

Nigeria, primarily the Ouémé River and Niger basin 

(Bonou and Teugels, 1985; Skelton, 1988). 

Introduced range: Introductions unknown. 

Size: To 32 cm. 

Habitat preference: Bonou and Teugels (1985) 

noted that there was little known of the biology of this 

snakehead. Daget and Iltis (1965) considered this 

species as a Guinean form that occupied waters in 

forested areas. Teugels and others (1992) commented 

that this species is limited to coastal sections of rivers. 

Temperature range: No specific information. 

Nevertheless, the native range is equatorial, indicating 

a strictly tropical species. 

Reproductive habits: No specific information 

located. Likely a nest builder that provides parental 

protection to young like other snakeheads. 

Feeding habits: No specific information. In 

considering this species as a game fish, Copley (1952) 

remarked that it ate frogs and worms, as well as fishes. 

Probably a thrust predator like other channid fishes. 

After Boulenger, 1916 

Characters: Patch of scales present in gular 

region. No canines on prevomer or palatines. Transverse 

scales 19-24; lateral line scales 73-83. Dorsal 

rays 45-48; anal rays 32-35. Head slightly depressed 

anteriorly and covered with large scales. Lower jaw 

slightly longer than upper jaw with 3 to 4 large canine 

teeth. Coloration distinct among African snakeheads in 

having a series of forward-pointing chevrons on the 

side of the body posterior to the pectoral fins that 

extend upward to the base of the dorsal fin (Bonou and 

Teugels, 1985). 

Commercial importance in the United States: 

Sometimes listed on aquarist-oriented websites and has 

been periodically sold through aquarium fish retailers. 

Unknown in live-food fish markets. 

Commercial importance in native range: 

Unknown, but probably available in live-food fish 

markets. 

Environmental concerns: Likely a thrust predator. 

Native range is equatorial indicating that if introduced 

this species would be restricted to 

tropical/subtropical waters. 

121

122 

EXPLANATION 

DISTRIBUTION OF 

Parachanna africana 

Native range 

0 1,000 MILES 

0 

1,000 KILOMETERS 

20° N 

0° 

20° S 

20° W 0° 

20° E 

Mediterranean 

Sea 

Equator 

Atlantic 

Ocean 

Morocco 

AFRICA 

Ivory 

Coast 

Burkina 

Ghana 

Togo 

Parachanna africana 

Algeria 

Libya 

40° E 

Red Sea 

Nigeria 

Central 

African Republic 

Ethopia 

Cameroon 

Benin 

Gabon 

Dem. 

Rep. 

of the 

Congo 

Congo 

Tanzania 

Angola 

Chad 

Nambia 

Egypt 

Sudan 

Zambia 

South 

Africa 

Mozambique 

Saudi 

Arabia 

Indian 

Ocean 

Madagascar

Channa striata (Bloch, 1793) Chevron Snakehead

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