Snakehead fish belong to the family Channidae, which is generally divided into two genera: Channa and Parachanna. In total, there are approximately 50 recognized species. Here’s a brief breakdown:
- Genus Channa: This is the larger group, with around 37 species. These species are primarily found in Asia and are the ones most commonly referred to when discussing snakeheads.
- Genus Parachanna: This smaller group contains roughly 13 species and is mainly native to Africa.
Keep in mind that taxonomic revisions and new discoveries can sometimes change these numbers slightly, but the figure of around 50 species is widely accepted in the scientific community.
Genus Channa
(Approximately 37 species are recognized by many modern sources. Below is a list compiled from several taxonomic overviews.)
- Channa amphibeus
- Channa argus – Northern Snakehead
- Channa asiatica
- Channa aurantimaculata
- Channa barca
- Channa bleheri – Dwarf/Rainbow Snakehead
- Channa brichardi
- Channa burmanica
- Channa caudata
- Channa diplogramma
- Channa gachua – Dwarf Snakehead
- Channa marulius – Bullseye Snakehead
- Channa micropeltes – Giant Snakehead
- Channa orientalis
- Channa punctata – Spotted Snakehead
- Channa rostrata
- Channa striata – Striped Snakehead
- Channa tomata
- Channa ornatipinna
- Channa variegata
- Channa leichardti
- Channa spilopara
- Channa pardalis
- Channa quinqueradiata
- Channa limbata
- Channa stewartii
- Channa wui
- Channa baramensis
- Channa lipor (name used in some regional treatments)
- Channa sabaria (occasionally reported in localized studies)
- Channa ranbuna (a name that appears in some checklists)
- Channa khatrii (a recently described taxon in certain reviews)
- Channa keralensis (described from the Western Ghats of India)
- Channa vandeventeri (a name occasionally found in regional revisions)
- Channa fuscus (not universally recognized but noted in some studies)
- Channa melasoma (sometimes considered a distinct species in certain treatments)
- Channa obscura – (Note: In some classifications, “Channa obscura” has been moved to the genus Parachanna; see below.)
Note: Some names (for example, Channa obscura) appear in the literature with shifting generic placement or remain under review. The list above represents one synthesis from multiple taxonomic sources.
Genus Parachanna
(Modern treatments generally recognize 3–4 species in this genus. Commonly accepted names include:)
- Parachanna africana
- Parachanna insignis
- Parachanna obscura
- Parachanna monroviae
A Few Points to Consider
- Taxonomic revisions are ongoing. New species descriptions, synonymizations, and reclassifications occur as researchers study morphological and genetic data.
- Regional variations exist. Some species names may appear in regional checklists but not be widely recognized in the global taxonomic community.
