Common name

 

Giant snakehead, Bullseye snakehead, Saul, Bohr 

Scientific name

 

Channa marulius

Family

 

Osphronemus gourami

Distribution   India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Srilanka. Thailand, China, etc.

 

It is an excellent freshwater food and sport fish that fetches very high market price in many parts of the country. The fish resembles to snake in appearance due to long cylindrical body fully covered with cycloid scales including head. Presence of characteristic 5-6 rosettes like cloudy bands below lateral line and a large ocellus at upper lobe of caudal fin are the main identification characters. It grows to a length of around 4 feet. An air-breathing fish that can live in wide range of water quality. The ideal temperature is 26-28 °C, pH 7-8.5 and moderate hardness. It is highly aggressive and predatory and hence should not be kept in aquarium with small and delicate fish species. Bottom dweller and feeds on small fishes, insects, mollusc and shrimps. Sexual differentiation is difficult. Matures in two to three years and breeds in confined waters in rivers, reservoirs and even ponds near the aquatic vegetation. Around 500 eggs are laid  in a gelatinous mass on aquatic weeds in a batch breeding that hatch in around 30 hours at temperature 28-33 °C. Captive breeding has been achieved.  

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


----------------------