The orange-spotted snakehead (''Channa aurantimaculata'') is a species of
snakehead fish. Its body is of brownish colour intermixed with vertical orange stripes. Males have taller dorsal fins with more intense coloration, and narrower heads. It is endemic to
Brahmaputra River basin. Its type locality is
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 i ...
, the most northeastern area 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 ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Dibrughar is the same type locality as that of ''
Channa bleheri
''Channa bleheri'' (the rainbow snakehead) is a species of dwarf snakehead that is endemic to the Brahmaputra River basin in the Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.SeriouslyFishChanna bleheri Retrieved 11 February 2019. It is among the ...
''.
This species grows to 16 in (40 cm). It is probably a
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 ...
, like most of the smaller snakeheads. One report is known from a German aquarist that a couple of his fish had bred.
In the aquarium
The orange-spotted snakehead is predatory, so it should not be housed with smaller fishes. It is comfortable in a water temperature within the range of 15-28 °C, and a pH of around 7. It requires a large, dimly lit, well-planted tank with places to hide. It breathes air and will suffocate if it is prevented from reaching the surface.
References
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External links
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*
snakeheads.org the comprehensive website for all aspects of snakeheads
Orange-spotted snakehead
Fish described in 2000
{{Anabantiformes-stub