Currently we have a good number of very interesting and beautiful species of snakeheads in stock.
Channa obscura, placed in the meantime in a different genus, namely Parachanna, originates from Africa. The species attains a length of about 40 cm. Currently we have 4 cm long babies in stock that we received from Nigeria. The fish have code 111002 on our stocklist.
All the other species we have in stock still belong to the genus Channa and originate from Asia.
We received adult Channa gachua from India (Bengal). The species attains a length of 10-15 cm and is a mouthbrooding species. These fish have code 409084 on our stocklist.
For the first time ever we can offer German bred Channa pulchra. This is a medium-sized species (20-30 cm) that originates from Burma. Our specimens are currently 12-15 cm long, show very nice coloration and have code 409245 on our stocklist.
Another Indian species is Channa punctata. That fish is not as colorful as the former, but quite peaceful (compared with other snakeheads) and does not grow very big. Common size in the wild is 15-20 cm. Our specimens come from Bengal and are 8-10 cm long. They have code 409252 on our stocklist.
The species Channa stewartii is found only along the Himalaya in the north of India. Here a lot of different colour varieties are known. The fish we currently have in stock (code 409303) are 10-12 cm long (they may reach up to 25 cm) and have a very nice metallic blue-green basic coloration.
A real dwarf and breathtaking colourful is the Channa sp. 'Dwarf Fire & Ice'.. We have not seen them larger than 12 cm so far. This beauty has code 409363 on our stocklist.
The next two species are real giants that can reach at least 80 cm in length. Angling records are by far larger! Channa diplogramma (code 409153) originates from the south of India and C. micropeltes (code 409204) from Thailand. Both species still show at a size of 10-12 cm their baby-coloration, which is very attractive: broad orange-red stripes along the body. Both species look so similiar at that age that it was thought more than 100 years that both would belong to the same species. However, the adults looks completely different. C. diplogramma becomes creamy white all over the body with black or red dots on the scales. C. micropeltes gets a blue-black back and a silvery belly as adult fish.
Finally, we have another scientifically still undescribed species in stock, which is obviously a close relative of C. gachua: Channa sp. 'Laos Fireback'. It seems that this fish becomes a bit larger than typical C. gachua, but for sure the fish we currently have in stock (code 409394, size 15-20 cm) have reached already maturity.
Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Channa: ancient Greek, means “snapper”, probably referring to the airbreathing. Parachanna: ancient Greek, means “looks like Channa”. obscura: Latin, means “dark”. gachua: after the common name of the species in Bengal. pulchra: Latin, means “beautiful”. punctata: Latin, means “spotted”. stewartii: dedication name for “Major Stewart, Superintendent of Cachar”. diplogramma: ancient Greek, means “with double bands”. micropeltes: ancient Greek, means “with small scales”.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
