''Channa bleheri'' (the rainbow snakehead) is a species of

dwarf snakehead Dwarf snakehead is a term coined by aquarists to describe a group of ''Channa'' snakehead fishes growing to about maximum. They are found in freshwater habitats (often streams) in South and Southeast Asia, and southern China.Endruweit, M. (2017). ...

that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Brahmaputra River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...

basin in the Indian states of

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

and

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares int ...

.SeriouslyFish
Channa bleheri
Retrieved 11 February 2019. It is among the most colorful species of snakehead.

Distribution and etymology

In the wild, this species primarily inhabits waters within the Indian state of

, and it is known in Assamese as ''sengeli'' or ''chengeli''. Its

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

honors the explorer

Heiko Bleher Heiko Bleher (born 18 October 1944) is a German researcher, author, photographer, and filmmaker. He is best known in the scientific community for his contribution to the exploration of fresh and brackish water habitats worldwide. He has discover ...

. The specific name of this fish honours the explorer and exotic fish trader Heiko Bleher who assisted in the collection of the type and gave it to Vierke.

Endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

basin, this fish has a type location at

Dibrugarh Dibrugarh (pron: ˌdɪbru:ˈgɑ:) is an industrial city in Upper Assam with sprawling tea gardens. It is located 435 kms East from the state capital of Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam in ...

, a city in the northeastern part of Assam.Courtenay, Walter and Williams, James. ''Snakeheads (Pisces, Channidae): A Biological Synopsis and Risk Assessment''
p. 63
(U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Jan 1, 2004). Its closest relative appears to be '' Channa burmanica'', which is endemic to northern

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

Appearance and aquarium popularity

This species is one of the favorite snakeheads for

aquariums An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, a ...

because of the colors that inspired its

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

. Juveniles that have reached have yellow bodies, and adults have large orange or red spots. This fish grows to in

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

and is a part of the group known informally as

Reproduction and movement

Among dwarf snakeheads, it is the only nestbrooder; all others are

mouthbrooder Mouthbrooding, also known as oral incubation and buccal incubation, is the care given by some groups of animals to their offspring by holding them in the mouth of the parent for extended periods of time. Although mouthbrooding is performed by a va ...

s. Females, which are smaller than males, appear to initiate courtship, although the male selects the nesting site, and both parents will guard the

larvae A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

. The adult male and female move near the surface for sex. These fish are

benthopelagic The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean (or deep lake) consisting of the part of the water column near to (and significantly affected by) the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer of ...

, meaning that they mostly dwell near the bottom of bodies of water.

Environmental and legal issues

The federal government in the U.S. is concerned that release of this fish into U.S. waters could harm the environment. This predator could kill native species, especially in southern areas such as

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

that have a warm climate similar to Assam's climate. Accordingly, it is illegal in the United States to possess, import, or sell these fish or their eggs.Code of Federal Regulations
50 CFR 16.13 (2010). Violations of this law have occurred in various states (e.g. Kentucky and Georgia).

References

External links

snakeheads.org
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2137399 bleheri Fish of Bangladesh Fish of India Taxa named by Jörg Vierke Fish described in 1991