''Parachanna'' is a genus of snakeheads native to freshwater habitats in tropical

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. Three recognized extant (living) species are in this genus, but a

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

study from 2017 indicates that a fourth, currently

undescribed species In taxonomy, an undescribed taxon is a taxon (for example, a species) that has been discovered, but not yet formally described and named. The various Nomenclature Codes specify the requirements for a new taxon to be validly described and named. U ...

also exists. One fossil species, ''

Parachanna fayumensis ''Parachanna fayumensis'', is an extinct member of the snakehead fish family (Channidae) known from fossil records only. It is the oldest member of this family known from Africa. It differs from ''Parachanna insignis'', '' P. africana'' and '' P ...

Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust * D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...

, 2006 dated to the

Upper Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', "da ...

and

Lower Oligocene The Rupelian is, in the geologic timescale, the older of two ages or the lower of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between . It is preceded by the Priabonian Stage (part of the Eocene) and is followed by the Chatti ...

is known from the

Jebel Qatrani Formation The Jebel Qatrani Formation (also Gebel Qatrani) is a palaeontological and geologic formation located in the Faiyum Governorate of central Egypt. Conformably overlying the Qasr el Sagha Formation. It is exposed namely between the Jebel Qatrani ...

of the

Fayum Depression The Faiyum Oasis ( ar, واحة الفيوم ''Waḥet El Fayyum'') is a depression or basin in the desert immediately to the west of the Nile, or just 62 miles south of Cairo in Egypt. The extent of the basin area is estimated at between 1,270 ...

, Egypt.

Species

The three recognized extant species in this genus are: * ''

Parachanna africana ''Parachanna africana'', the African snakehead or Niger snakehead, is a species of fish from west-central Africa. Little is published on its biology. Limited primarily to coastal sections of rivers, it is thought to be a nest-building, thrust pre ...

'' ( Steindachner, 1879) (African snakehead) * ''

Parachanna insignis ''Parachanna insignis'' is a species of ray-finned fish from the snakehead family, Channidae The snakeheads are members of the freshwater perciform fish family Channidae, native to parts of Africa and Asia. These elongated, predatory fish ar ...

'' ( Sauvage, 1884) (brown snakehead) * ''

Parachanna obscura The obscure snakehead, ''Parachanna obscura'', is a medium-sized carnivorous fish that has an elongated shape tapered on both ends and is covered in medium circular scales (cycloid). The head, resembling a snake, is long and depressed anteriorly ...

'' ( Günther, 1861) (obscure snakehead)

References

* Freshwater fish genera Taxa named by Jacques Daget {{Anabantiformes-stub