Int. J. Aquat. Biol.

(2017) 5(1): 29-32; DOI:

ISSN: 2322-5270; P-ISSN: 2383-0956
Journal homepage: www.ij-aquaticbiology.com
© 2016 Iranian Society of Ichthyology

Short Communication
A new record of the dwarf snakehead, Channa ornatipinnis Britz 2007 (Perciformes:
Channidae) from India

Sivaramapillai Muthukumar*1, Muthukumarasamy Arunachalam2, Uthandakalaipandiyan Ramesh1, Murugiah Umamaheswari2,

Alagappan Vanarajan2

1
Department of Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India.
2
Sri Paramakalyani Centre for Environmental Sciences, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Alwarkurichi, India.

Abstract: The snakehead of the family are represented 33 species from Asia of which two species Article history:
Received 7 January 2017
Channa ornatipinnis and C. pulchra were recently described from Myanmar. The recent record of
Accepted 3 February 2017
C. ornatipinnis from Tuivawl River, Tuivawl village in Champhai district, Mizoram, India is of Available online 2 5 February 2017
ichthyological interest
Keywords: Channa ornatipinnis, new record, Tuivawl, India.

Introduction The Dwarf snakehead, Channa ornatipinnis, was

The snakeheads of the family Channidae comprises described from Waloun Chaung in Rakhine state of
of two genera, one in Asia (Channa) and the other in central Myanmar by Britz (2007). Due to lack of
Africa (Parachanna). The genus Channa comprises information on its distribution, biology and
of 33 species in Asia (Courtenay and Williams, population trends, this species was assessed as Data
2004; Serrao, 2014). In India, 12 species including Deficient (Britz, 2010). During recent field trips in
Channa amphibeus (McClelland 1845), C. auranti- Tuivawl stream of Champhai district, Mizoram state
maculata (Musikasinthorn 2000), C. barca in India, we collected 10 specimens of a snakehead
(Hamilton 1822), C. bleheri (Vierke 1991), that matched C. ornatipinnis, in its morphometric
C. diplogramma (Day 1865), C. gachua (Hamilton and meristic characters. Therefore, this paper reports
1822), C. marulius (Hamilton 1822), C. melano- extension of its range of occurrence to India.
stigma (Geethakumari & Vishwanath 2011),
C. orientalis (Bloch & Schneider 1801), C. punctata Materials and Methods
(Bloch 1793), C. stewartii (Playfair 1867), C. striata Fish samples were collected from Tuivawl stream in
(Bloch 1793) are reported. Fishes within this genus Champhai District of Mizoram state during May
are characterized by an elongated cylindrical body, 2012 using gill nets and cast nets, and preserved in
long and entirely soft-rayed dorsal and anal fins, a 10% formalin. Voucher specimens are currently
large mouth with well-developed teeth on both upper deposited in the Manonmaniam Sundaranar
and lower jaws, and an accessory air-breathing University Museum of Natural History (MSUMNH),
apparatus known as the suprabranchial organ Alwarkurichi, Tamil Nadu, India, and specimens
(Musikasinthorn, 1998, 2003). Snakeheads are of were preserved in collections of M. Arunachalam,
considerable interest as food fish and in aquarium (CMA). Morphometric measurements and meristic
trade and also as predators (Courtenay and Williams, counts generally follow Hubbs and Lagler (1964)
2004). and Musikasinthorn (1998). A total of 10 individuals

* Corresponding author: Sivaramapillai Muthukumar

E-mail address: [email protected]
30 Muthukumar et al./ Channa ornatipinnis, a new record of dwarf snakehead from India

Figure 1. Lateral view of Channa ornatipinnis, MSUMNH 60, 132.52 mm SL), Tuivawl River, Mizoram, India.

Figure 2. Natural habitat of Channa ornatipinnis in Tuivawl River, Tuivawl village, Champhai District, Mizoram, India.

in the range of 98.44 to 161.77 mm SL were multiple rows of sharp, pointed minute teeth.
measured. Dorsal fin rays 34(8)-36(2), anal fin rays 23(6)-
Abbreviations: D, dorsal fin; P, pectoral fin; C, 24(4), pectoral fin rays 16, pelvic fin rays 6, principal
caudal fin; HL, head length; SL, standard length. caudal fin ray's 10-11, cheek scales 4(4)-5(6), lateral
Examined materials: MSUMNH 60, 8, 98.44-161.17 line scales 46(1)-48(9), scale rows above lateral line
mm SL. - CMA 20, 2, 112.45-120.72 mm SL, India, 4.5, below lateral line 7.5, circumpeduncular scales
Mizoram, Tuivawl river, Tuivawl village, Champhai 28, circumferential scales 31(4)-32(6), pre-dorsal
District (23°48'16.4''N, 92°054'44''E), M. Arunach- scales 14(2)-15(8), transverse breast row scales 9(3)-
alam, M. Raja, C. Vijayakumar and S. Nandagopal. 10(7), anal scale rows 1, pre-anal scales 20(8)-21(2),
06 May 2012. lateral line scales dropping one row following 15-
16th anterior most scales. A pair of maxillary barbel.
Results and Discussion Morphometric data of the examined specimens are
Description : Body elongate, round in cross section listed in Table 1.
anteriorly, laterally compressed at caudal peduncle, Coloration: Alcohol preserved specimens: dorsal
head large and wider in the opercular region with 10- surface of body dark grayish and ventral surface
20 black spots on each side of cheeks and several white grey, several small black irregular spots
irregular spots scattered on opercular region to scattered on opercular region, cheek and body.
caudal base. Mouth large, maxilla extending Pectoral fins with 6-7 semicircular white bands
posteriorly beyond jaw angle, lips fleshy, jaws with alternating with black bands. Dorsal, anal and caudal
 Int. J. Aquat. Biol. (2017) 5(1): 29-32 31

Table 1. Morphometric data of Channa ornatipinnis from Tuivawl River, Mizoram, India (n=10).

Min Max Mean

Standard length (mm) 98.44 161.17 121.92
% of standard length
Pre dorsal length 34.16 37.95 35.63
Pre anal length 47.49 50.34 48.99
Pre pelvic length 28.93 31.02 30.10
Pre pectoral length 25.69 29.98 28.85
Pectoral fin length 19.66 23.73 21.10
Pelvic fin length 9.03 12.50 11.04
Dorsal fin base length 52.47 56.63 54.95
Anal fin base length 39.53 41.62 40.73
Caudal fin length 18.19 21.79 20.73
Peduncle length 7.71 10.64 9.61
Peduncle depth 8.90 11.85 10.40
Occiput to dorsal origin 7.79 12.64 10.59
Occiput to pectoral insertion 11.35 16.51 14.26
Occiput to pelvic insertion 13.56 18.92 17.40
Body depth 13.79 18.87 16.75
Dorsal origin to pelvic insert. 14.03 18.06 16.10
Dorsal insert to pelvic insert. 53.60 59.77 57.24
Dorsal origin to pectoral insert. 12.44 18.54 14.97
Dorsal origin to anal origin 18.92 26.47 22.99
Dorsal insert to caudal base 6.64 8.91 7.73
Dorsal insertion to anal origin 35.12 45.07 41.92
Dorsal insert to anal insert. 9.56 19.39 12.63
Pectoral insert to pelvic insert. 5.09 9.62 7.68
Pectoral insert to anal origin 18.64 23.17 20.65
Pelvic insert to anal origin 16.19 20.16 17.48
Distance b/w pectoral fin to vent 17.26 23.88 21.81
Distance b/w pelvic fin to vent 17.68 21.60 18.80
Head length 34.36 37.53 36.17
% of head length
Pre occipital length 83.96 89.93 86.65
Snout to opercle 88.16 94.84 91.71
Upper jaw length 34.13 44.90 39.02
Snout length 20.73 25.74 23.62
Pre nasal length 14.39 21.19 16.70
Orbit width 11.22 14.15 13.20
Inter orbital width 28.07 35.23 30.13
Inter nasal width 14.40 20.12 17.78
Head width 57.74 61.16 58.96
Head depth 37.68 45.36 42.02
Head depth at nostril 12.82 19.35 16.54
Head depth at pupil 27.26 32.49 29.93
Head depth at occiput 39.09 43.53 40.56

fins with dark grey to blackish with few white spots, bluish grey membranes.
pelvic fin reddish white with black marks. Habitat: The Tuivawl is a clear water third order
Live coloration: (Fig. 1) dorsal side of the head stream with thick vegetation on its right and left
greenish with golden orange, cheeks bluish grey with banks (Fig. 2) and substrate comprised of boulders,
15-20 bluish black spots, pectoral fin with red base pebbles and small proportion of sand. The
and 6-7 semicircular white bands narrower than microhabitat from where the fish were collected was
black bands, pelvic fin grayish brown with whitish mostly run with low flow with a side pool in the 100
margins. Dorsal fin origin with 3 black blotches. m thalweg length. Two habitats were identified in the
Dorsal, anal and caudal fins with reddish rays and 100 m length with the density of C. ornatipinnis
32 Muthukumar et al./ Channa ornatipinnis, a new record of dwarf snakehead from India

occurred in pool and in the inflow and outflow of the Musikasinthorn P. (1998). Channa panaw, a new channid
pool. Velocity of the water was between 15 to 20 fish from the Irrawaddy and Sittang River basins,
cm/s and the depth between 0.4-1.2 m. Collection of Myanmar. Ichthyological Research, 45: 355-362.
pebbles and gravels and sands was a major Musikasinthorn P. (2000). Channa aurantimaculata, a
new channid fish from Assam (the Brahmaputra River
disturbance in the channel.
basin), India, with designation of a neotype for
Remarks: Till date, there has been no documented
C. amphibeus (McClelland, 1845). Ichthyological
record of the occurrence of C. ornatipinnis outside of Research, 47: 27-37.
the Rakhine State in central Myanmar and therefore Musikasinthorn P. (2003). Channoidei (Snakeheads) In:
the present record of the species from a stream in M. Hutchins, A. Thoney, P.V. Loiselle, N. Schlager
Mizoram state, India is of special interest. (Eds.). Grzimek’s animal life encyclopedia, 2nd ed.
Vols 4, 5. Fishes I–II. Gale Group, Farmington Hills.
Acknowledgements pp: 437-447.
The author Muthukumarasamy Arunachalam was Viswanath W. (2000). Fish fauna of Manipur. Manipur
supported by Manonmaniam Sundaranar University Association for Science and Society, 137 p.
under one time grant by University Grants Viswanath W. (2002). Fishes of North East India, A field
guide to species identification. Manipur University
Commission, New Delhi for faculty/Professors
and NATP. 198 p.
produced 15 Ph.D.s in UGC-BSR. {No.19-
Vishwanath W., Geetakumari Kh. (2009). Diagnosis and
88/2013(BSR) dt..21, Nov., 2013}. This research interrelationships of fishes of the genus Channa
was also possible with grants to R.L. Mayden under Scopoli (Teleostei: Channidae) of northeastern India.
Saint Louis University and the USA National Journal of Threatened Taxa, 1(2): 97-105.
Science Foundation Grants EF- 0431326, DEB- Serrao N.R., Steinke D., Hanner R.H. (2014). Calibrating
1021840 and DBI-0956370 for the taxonomy and snakehead diversity with DNA barcodes: expanding
systematics of Cypriniformes. The two initiatives, taxonomic coverage to enable identification of
Cypriniformes Tree of Life and All Cypriniformes potential and established invasive species. Plos One,
Global Biodiversity Initiative (www.cypriniformes. dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0099546.
org) have aided in this mission.

References
Britz R. (2007). Channa ornatipinnis and C. pulchra, two
new species of dwarf snakeheads from Myanmar
(Teleostei: Channidae). Ichthyological Exploration of
Freshwaters, 18(4): 335-344.
Courtenay W.R., Williams J.D. (2004). Snakeheads
(Pisces, Channidae): a biological synopsis and risk
assessment. US Geological Survey Circular, 1251.
143 p.
Hubbs C.L., Lagler K.F. (1964). Fishes of the Great Lake
region. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan press. 213
p.
IUCN. (2012). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Version 2012.1. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded
on 21 August 2012.
McClelland J. (1845). Description of four species of
fishes from the rivers at the foot of Boutan Mountains.
Journal Natural History, Calcutta, 5(18): 274-282.
 ‫‪Int. J. Aquat. Biol. (2017) 5(1): 29-32‬‬
‫‪E-ISSN: 2322-5270; P-ISSN: 2383-0956‬‬
‫‪Journal homepage: www.ij-aquaticbiology.com‬‬
‫‪© 2016 Iranian Society of Ichthyology‬‬

‫چکیده فارسی‬

‫نخستین گزارش ماهی سرماری دارف‪( Channa ornatipinnis Britz 2007 ،‬سوفماهی شکال‪:‬ن اانواد ماهیا‪:‬ن‬
‫سرماری) از هندوستا‪:‬ن‬
‫‪2‬‬
‫سیواراناپیالی موتوکومار*‪ ،1‬موتوکوماراسامی آرونچاالم‪ ،2‬اوتانداکاالی پاندییا‪:‬ن رامش‪ ،1‬موروگیا اماماهسواری‪ ،2‬االگاپپا‪:‬ن واناراجا‪:‬ن‬

‫‪1‬گروه زیستشناسی مولکولی‪ ،‬مدرسه علوم زیستی‪ ،‬دانشگاه مادورای کاماراج‪ ،‬مادورای‪ ،‬هندوستان‪.‬‬
‫‪2‬مرکز علوم محیطی سری پاراماکاالیانی‪ ،‬دانشگاه مانونمانیام سوندارانار‪ ،‬الوارکوریچی‪ ،‬هندوستان‪.‬‬

‫چکید‬
‫خانواده ماهیان سرماری دارای ‪ 33‬گونه در آسیا میباشد و اخیراً دو گونه ‪ Channa ornatipinnis‬و ‪ C. pulchra‬از میانمار توصیف شده است‪ .‬این‬
‫مقاله نخستین گزارش حضور ‪ C. ornatipinnis‬از رودخانه تویواول‪ ،‬روستای تویواول منطقه چامپهای‪ ،‬میزورام هندوستان را بهعنوان یافته جالب‬
‫ماهیشناسی گزارش مینماید‪.‬‬
‫کلمات کلیدی ‪ ،Channa ornatipinnis‬نخستین گزارش‪ ،‬تویواول‪ ،‬هند‪.‬‬