Diagnosis and interrelationships of fishes of the genus ChannaScopoli (Teleostei: Channidae) of northeastern India
W.
Vishwanath 1 & Kh. Geetakumari 2
1,2Department of Life Sciences, Manipur University, Canchipur,
Manipur 795003, India
Email: 1 wvnath@gmail.com; 2 geetamene@gmail.com
Date
of online publication 26 February 2009
ISSN 0974-7907
(online) | 0974-7893 (print)
Editor: Rema Devi
Manuscript
details:
Ms # o1788
Received on 24
May 2007
Final revised
received 28 March 2008
Finally accepted
30 March 2008
Citation: Vishwanath, W.
& Kh. Geetakumari (2009). Diagnosis
and interrelationships of fishes of the genus Channa Scopoli (Teleostei:
Channidae) of northeastern India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 1(2):
97-105.
Copyright: © W. Vishwanath
& Kh. Geetakumari 2009. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium for non-profit
purposes, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the
authors and the source of publication.
Author Details:
W. Vishwanathis a Professor in the Department of Life Sciences, Manipur University. His
field of specialization is Fish and Fisheries. He is at present engaged in
taxonomy and systematics of freshwater fishes of northeastern India.
Kh. Geetakumari is a research scholar in the Department of Life
Sciences, Manipur University. She is pursuing research in Phylogenetic studies
of fishes belonging to the order Perciformes found in northeastern India under
the supervision of Prof. W. Vishwanath.
Author contribution:
W. VishwanathThe study: Supervision of taxonomy and phylogeny of freshwater fishes of
northeastern India. Current paper:
Supervised the work and helped in identifying the species.
Kh. GeetakumariThe study: Undergoing research in the Perciformes fishes of northeastern India.
Current paper: As a part of the research work, all the channid fishes of the
region has been collected and identified. The paper is a part of the results.
Acknowledgements:The authors are grateful to Prof. M.M. Goswami, Department of Zoology, Guwahati
University for valuable informations and also granting permission to access his
valuable collections; to Dr. D.N. Das, Head, Department of Zoology, Rajiv
Gandhi University, Itanagar for valuable help and to Director, ZSI for
permission to examine fish specimens. The second author (Kh. G.) records her
thankfulness to Manipur University for grant of research fellowship. The first
author is grateful to Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt. of India for
research grant No. 14/11/2006-ERS/RE
Abstract:Diagnostic characters of nine species of the genus ChannaScopoli of northeastern India are given. Examination of morphological and osteological characters revealed that
the fish under study comprised two phylectic groups: marulius and gachua. The Marulius group is characteristic
by having a very prominent V-shaped sharp isthmus, cephalic sensory pores
arranged in groups, absence of scales on the lower jaw, a sharp prominent
spinelike hypurapophysis, more branchial toothplates than epibranchial, and an
elongated urostyle. The Gachua group
is characterized by a U-shaped isthmus, cephalic sensory pores evenly arranged
in a single row, the presence of one or two large cycloid scales on each side
of the lower jaw, absence of a sharp prominent spine-like hypurapophysis,
absence or presence of one tooth plate in the epibranchial, and absence of an
elongated urostyle. An elongated bone is
present in between two last hemal spines of all species examined. A key to known species of Channa of
northeastern India is also given
Keywords:Channa, diagnosis, interrelationship, northeastern India
Abbreviations: MUMF - Manipur University Museum of Fish; GUMF - Guwahati
University Museum of Fish
For Images & Tables – click here
Introduction
Genus ChannaScopoli, 1777 of the family Channidae is distinguished from other genera of the
family in having long, soft dorsal and anal fins, scales on the head mostly
cycloid and that on the body, mostly ctenoid, caudal fin rounded, curved
lateral line. The genus is also
characterized by a suprapharyngeal accessory respiratory organ which facilitates
an air-breathing mode of life. Northeastern India is rich in swamps and lakes, and in Channid
fauna. Under the All India co-ordinated
project on air breathing fishes, Dehadrai (1975) made extensive studies on the
cage culture of some of the species of this region. However, taxonomy and phylogeny of the
Channid fishes of the region is poorly understood.
The Channidae
are represented by 26 species, of which 23 occur in Asia and the rest in Africa
(Musikasinthorn 2000). Hamilton (1822)
described Ophiocephalus barca (now Channa) from Brahmaputra river
near Goalpara, Assam. Hora (1921) listedC. punctatus (Bloch) from Chindwin basin, Manipur. Shaw and Shebbeare
(1937) listed and gave brief descriptions of six species from northern Bengal, viz,C. amphibeus (McClelland), C. gachua (Hamilton), C. marulius (Hamilton),
C. stewartii (Playfair) and C. striata (Bloch). Later reports on the
fishes of Manipur by Menon (1952), and Menon (1954) did not include additional
species of the genus. Sen (1985) listed
and gave diagnostic characters of six species of the genus. Vierke (1991) described C. bleherifrom Assam.
Musikasinthorn
(2000) described Channa aurantimaculata from Dibrugarh, Assam.
Vishwanath’s (2000 & 2002) works respectively on the fishes of Manipur and
northeastern India did not include any additional species. Thus nine species of Channa are known
from northeastern India.
In the present
study, detailed morphology and osteology of nine species, viz., Channa
amphibeus, C. aurantimaculata, C. barca, C. bleheri, C. gachua, C.
marulius, C. punctatus, C. stewartii and C. striata were
carried out. Diagnostic
characters and interrelationships of the species are presented here. A key to identification of the known species
of Channa of the region is also included.
Materials and Methods
Fresh specimens
were collected from different fishing sites of northeastern India. Measurements
and counts followed Kullander and Britz (2002). Cleared and stained specimens were used for osteological studies. Clearing
and staining of specimens followed Hollister (1934). Radiographs were taken using DX-300 X-ray machine and developed
digitally using Centricity CR SP100, and used for vertebral count in species
for which limited specimens were available. Identification and nomenclature of bones as well as vertebral counts
followed Greenwood (1976). For branchial
tooth plate count, the first gill arch of the left side of the specimens was
taken. Plates starting from
hypobranchial to epibranchial of the outer side were counted
Channa amphibeus (McClelland)
(Image 1)
Ophicephalus
amphibeusMcClelland 1845: 274-279 (type locality: vicinity of Chail River, one of the
tributaries of the Teesta at the foot of the Bouton mountains).
Materials
examined: 1
ex., (date unknown), 184.6mm SL, northern Bengal, India, coll. G.E. Shaw &
E.O. Shebbeare, ZSI F 11435/1, neotype designated by P. Musikasinthorn 2000.
Distribution: Chel River
basin, in the Brahmaputra River drainage of northeastern India and Bhutan.
Diagnosis: A species of Channawith lateral line scales 81, predorsal scales 17, maxilla extending beyond the
posterior margin of eye, circumpeduncular scales 31, cephalic sensory pores
single, two large scales, two large scales on each side of lower jaw under
surface dorsal fin rays 50, anal fin rays 35, pectoral fin rays 15, pelvic fin
rays six, cheek scales nine, body depth greatest at insertion of anal fin, body
width greatest at insertion of pectoral fin. Snout somewhat pointed in dorsal view. Orbit not reaching dorsal contour of head in lateral view, upper and
lower lips flattened.
Colour: In alcohol: body
uniformly light brown, ventral surface whitish. Eleven vertical brown bars on
upper half of body, extending below lateral line. Edges of dorsal, anal and
caudal fins whitish.
Remarks: Diagnosis based
on neotype and Shaw & Shebbeare (1937).
Channa
aurantimaculata Musikasinthorn
(Image 2)
Channa
aurantimaculata,
Musikasinthorn, 2000: 27. (type locality: streams near Dibrugarh town,
Dibrugarh, Assam)
Materials
examined: 2
exs., 29.i.2007, 121.9-131.2mm SL, Teju River, Teju district, Arunachal
Pradesh, India, coll. K. Nebeshwar, MUMF-Per/0001; 3 exs., 17.xii.2006,
125-130mm SL, Dibrugarh, Assam, India, (coll. unknown), GUMF uncat.
Distribution: India: Teju
River, Arunachal Pradesh; Brahmaputra river basin at Dibrugarh, northern Assam.
Diagnosis: A species of Channawith lateral line scales 51-54, dorsal fin rays 45-47, anal fin rays 28-30, mouth
large, eyes moderate, caudal fin rounded, cheek scales 8-12, upper jaw length
more than 45% HL, 3-4 bars on the pectoral fin, pectoral fin rays 14-16, two
large cycloid scales on each side of the lower jaw undersurface, pelvic fin
length less than half the pectoral fin length, cephalic sensory pores single,
maxilla extending clearly beyond posterior margin of eye, total vertebrae count
51 (Image 3), branchial tooth plate count 6.
Colour: Upper half of
body dark brown to black with 7 or 8 large irregular orange blotches; pectoral
fins with a black blotch at base and 5 vertical broad vivid black bands.
Remarks: It is endemic to
Brahmaputra River basin. The report
extends its distribution to Arunachal Pradesh.
Channa barca (Hamilton)
(Image 4)
Channa barca Hamilton,
1822:67, 367. (type locality: Brahmaputra R. near Goyalpara, Assam, India)
Materials
examined: 1
ex., 6.v.2007, 295mm SL, Fringe area of Pobitora wildlife Sanctuary, Morigaon,
Assam, India, coll. M.M. Goswami, MUMF-Per/0044; 3 exs., same data as above,
295.3-297.0mm SL, GUMF uncat.
Distribution: India.
Bangladesh (Eschmeyer 2007)
Diagnosis: A species of Channawith lateral line 62-63, dorsal fin rays 50-51, anal fin rays 33-34, mouth
large, caudal fin rounded, scales above the lateral line 5.5-6.5, predorsal
scales 15-16, cephalic sensory pores single, two large cycloid scales on each
side of the lower jaw undersurface, caudal fin rounded, total vertebrae count
56.
Colour: Dorsal and
flanks covered with numerous black spot, pectorals reddish with numerous black
spots.
Remarks: The species is
burrowing in habit, and lives in vertical burrows (Goswami et al. 2006).
Channa bleheri Vierke
(Image 5)
Channa bleheri Vierke,
1991:22. (type locality: Assam).
Material
examined: 1
ex., 29.i.2007, 149.1mm SL, Dikrong River, Doymukh, Arunachal Pradesh, India,
coll. K. Nebeshwar, MUMF-Per/0003; 1
ex., 6.xii.2006, 148.4mm SL, streams
near Dibrugarh market, Assam, India, coll. M.M. Goswami, GUMF.
Distribution: India: Assam,
Brahmaputra basin, Arunachal Pradesh
Diagnosis: A species of Channawith a slightly broad head, pelvic fin absent, sides of lower jaw have one
large cycloid scale, 4-11 red or orange markings on caudal fin, eyes moderate,
and caudal fin rounded, mouth large, 6-7 markings on the pectoral fin, maxilla
and premaxillary processes extending beyond the posterior margin of the orbit,
snout blunt, cephalic sensory pores single, lateral line complete with 46-50
scales, anal fin rays 25 and pectoral fin rays 14, total vertebral count 43, branchial
toothplate count five. Tooth plates are
present only on the outer side of the first gill arch and absent on the inner
side of the same arch.
Colour:Grey
to brown on sides, pale yellow to white ventrally, pectoral fin with 7 to 8
bars of alternating black and white bars.
Remarks: The report
extends its distribution to Arunachal Pradesh.
Channa gachua (Hamilton)
(Image 6)
Ophicephalus
gachua,
Hamilton, 1822:68, 367. (type locality: Ponds and ditches of Bengal)
Materials
examined: 8
exs., 3.iii.2004, 112.8-112.9mm SL, Nambul River, Singda, Manipur, India, coll.
S. Sanjabihari, MUMF-Per/0004; 3 exs., 29.i.2007, 112.8-112.82mm SL, Deopani
River, Rowang, Lower Devang valley District, Arunachal Pradesh, India, coll. K.
Nebeshwar, MUMF-Per/0046.
Distribution:Afghanistan
in the west to Indonesia through South and Central Asia (Eschmeyer 2007)
Diagnosis: A species of Channawith dorsal fin rays 32-37; lateral line scales 39-48, pelvic fin shorter than
half the pectoral fin length, pectoral fin rays 15-17, ‘anal fin rays 21-27,
and caudal fin rays 12, maxilla and premaxillary process extending to vertical
level of the posterior end of the orbit, one or two large cycloid scale on each
side of lower jaw undersurface, cephalic sensory pores single, total vertebral
count 43, branchial toothplate count 9.
Colour: Dorsal, anal
and caudal fin margins white. There is
often a large ocellus with a light edge on the last five dorsal rays in the
young, body black getting lighter ventrally and abdomen creamish.
Remarks: The materials
examined agree with the characters of ZSI specimen (ZSI- F- 2705/1), 1 ex,
(date unknown), Bulagunj, Sulhet (Sylhet, Bangladesh), 246mm SL.
Channa punctatus (Bloch)
(Image 7)
Ophicephalus
punctatus,
Bloch, 1793:139 [type locality: no locality].
Materials
examined: 8
exs., 3.iii.2004, 95.6-105.9mm SL, Nambul River, Singda, Manipur, India, coll.
S. Sanjabihari, MUMF-Per/0013; 3 exs.,
29.i.2007, 96.0-101.1mm SL, Teju River, Teju district, Arunachal Pradesh,
India, coll. K. Nebeshwar, MUMF-Per/0049.
Distribution: Afghanistan to
Myanmar through Sri Lanka. Pakistan. Nepal. Bangladesh and Yunnan (China)
(Eschmeyer, 2007).
Diagnosis: A species of Channawith scales on cheek 4-6, pelvic fin longer than half pectoral fin length,
pectoral fin with no bars, lateral line scales 35-40, dorsal fin rays 28-32,
lower jaw with 3-6 canines behind a single row of villiform teeth, anal fin
rays 19-21, body with two rows of bars, maxilla and premaxillary processes
extending to vertical level of beyond the middle of orbit, sides of lower jaw
with one large cycloid scale, cephalic sensory pores single, total vertebral
count 35, branchial toothplate count eight.
Colour: Brown to dark
green on flanks, pale yellow ventrally, several dark spots on body.
Remarks: The materials
examined agree with the characters of ZSI specimen (ZSI- F-7688/1), 1 ex. from
Bhagmati River., Purnea, Champaran, Bihar, India, 144.6mm SL.
Channa stewartii (Playfair)
(Image 8)
Ophiocephalus stewartii,
Playfair, 1867:14 (type locality: Cachar, Assam)
Materials
examined: 4
exs., 29.i.2007, 102.9-113.5mm SL, Deopani River, Rowing, Lower Devang valley
District, Arunachal Pradesh, India, coll. K. Nebeshwar, MUMF-Per/0021; 3 exs.,
(date unknown), 110.8-112.8mm SL, Assam, India, coll. M.M. Goswami, GUMF uncat.
Distribution: India: Manipur
- Barak River (Brahmaputra drainage); Eastern Himalaya, Nepal. (Eschmeyer
2007).
Diagnosis: A species of Channawith small black spots scattered on sides of body, dorsal fin rays 37-41, and
anal fin rays 24-27, lateral line scales 45-53, eyes moderate, mouth large,
pelvic fin about 1/3 as long as pectoral fin, 4-5 bars on the pectoral fin,
head slightly broad with blunt snout, sides of lower jaw with two large cycloid
scale, cephalic sensory pores single, total vertebral count 44, branchial
toothplate count seven.
Colour: Light ash to
dark brown. Almost all the scales with well defined circular black spots,
pectoral fins spotted in zones.
Remarks: They are
normally found only in the lower altitudes in the Barak and its
tributaries. Often found feeding on
young shoots of bamboo plants in swampy areas from rivers.
Channa marulius (Hamilton)
(Image 9)
Ophicephalus
marulius,
Hamilton, 1822:65, 367. (type locality: India)
Materials examined:1
ex., 29.i.2007, 151.6 mm SL, Teju River, Teju district, Arunachal Pradesh,
India, coll. K. Nebeshwar, MUMF-Per/0025; 5 exs., 5.iv.2004, 97.8-151.4mm SL,
Chindwin Basin, Moreh, India, coll. Vishwanath and party, MUMF-Per/0026; 5
exs., 19.iii.1999, 488.0mm SL, Barak River, Vanchengphai, Tamenglong district,
India, coll. K. Nebeshwar, MUMF uncat.
Distribution: Pakistan in the
west through South China, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam (Eschmeyer 2007).
Diagnosis: A species of Channawith a large black ocellus on upper caudal fin base; 3 white spots on
body. Dorsal fin rays 50-55, anal fin
rays 31-35, sides of lower jaws with no scales, lateral line scales 60-70, 4-5
ocelli, presence of a sharp distinct pointed ridge of isthmus and anterior to
it many longitudinal striae are present, lower jaw with 7 to 18 canines behind
a single row of villiform teeth which deepens to 5 or 6 rows on symphysis,
teeth on vomer, cephalic sensory pores not single, total vertebral count 62,
branchial toothplate count 16.
Colour: A well-marked
ocellus, brown surrounded by a ring paler than the ground-colour, on the upper
half of the base of caudal fin. Five or
six dark oval blotches on flank which terminate below lateral line, below
lateral line between blotches pale yellow with reddish tinge distinct white
spots scattered on body. An orange band
running from eye to middle of caudal fin in Juveniles.
Remarks: This species is
avoided in culturable waters because of its carnivorous habit. It grows to
large size as for instance it has been reported that in Maharashtra this snake
head grows up to 180cm in length and attains about 30kg in weight.
Channa striata (Bloch)
(Image 10)
Ophicephalus
striatusBloch, 1793: 141( type locality: Tranquebar, India)
Materials
examined: 8
exs., 21.iii.2007, 164.8-187mm SL, streams near Imphal valley, Manipur, India,
coll. Geetakumari Kh, MUMF-Per/0031; 4 exs., 6.vii.2006, 170.0-185.5mm SL,
Gomti River, Barak Basin, Agartala, India, coll. W. Vishwanath,
MUMF uncat.; 2 exs., 8.viii.2006, 185.5-186.6mm SL, Ujjain market, Guwahati,
India, coll. W. Vishwanath, MUMF uncat.
Distribution: Pakistan in the
west through China, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia; (Eschmeyer 2007).
Diagnosis: A species of Channawith dorsal fin rays 42-45, anal fin rays 25-29, lateral line scales 55-65,
mouth large, and lower jaw 4-7 canines behind a single row of villiform teeth,
dorsal and anal fins slightly darker in color than body maxilla and
premaxillary process extending to vertical level of beyond posterior margin of
orbit, presence of a sharp pointed ridge at the mid-ventral part of isthmus and
anterior to it many longitudinal striae are present, cephalic single pores not
single, total vertebral count 54, branchial tooth plate count 13.
Colour: Body with
chevron-shaped bars pointing forward, more distinct lower part. Dorsal fin with 5 inter-radial bands on the
last 4 rays and 5th to 7th rays has one band at base.
Remarks: The materials
examined agree with the characters of ZSI specimen (ZSI-F-12922-12923 colletced
by Dr. H.S. Preethi from near its type locality, i.e., Cheyyers River near
Razampeta, 196.3- 247.6 mm SL.
Morphology
Isthmus: (Image 11) The
isthmus is V-shaped, sharp; pointed heading towards the posterior side of the
head (in preserved specimen) in marulius group and it is U-shaped in gachuagroup.
Sensory pores: (Fig. 1) The
cephalic sensory pore which is present on the ventral side of the head is in
group in case of marulius and it is single in gachua group.
Scales on the
lower jaw: (Fig.
1) Scales are absent on the lower jaw of marulius group and one or two
pairs of scales are present on each side of the lower jaw of gachua group.
Osteology
Toothplates: In maruliusgroup 3-4 branchial tooth plates are present in the epibranchial region and the
tooth present in this group is very prominent canine and conical like whereas
in gachua group only one or no tooth plates are found in the
epibranchial region and less prominent compared to the tooth present in the maruliusgroup.
Caudal skeleton:(Fig.
2)
Hypurapophysis: In maruliusgroup hypurapophysis are very prominent and spine like facing towards the
urostyle, and in gachua group hypurapophysis are weakly developed.
“Interhemal
spine”:In all the species studied, an elongated bone is found between last two hemal
spines (PU2 and PU3). The bone is here termed as “interhemal spine”.
Urostyle: The urostyle is
long and elongated in marulius group whereas in gachua group it
is short.
Discussion
Hora’s (1921)
list of fishes from Chindwin basin, Manipur included C. harcourtbutleri (Annandale). The species was later synonymised with C.
gachua by Hora & Mukerji (1934). Distribution of C.
harcourtbutleri in Manipur, India is doubtful. While resurrecting synonymy
of the species with C. gachua, Ng et al. (1999) reported the species to
be distributed in Inle lake, Mynamar only. Sen’s (1985) list of Channa of northeastern India included C.
orientalis which is distributed in Sri Lanka only. Courtenay
et al. (2004) clearly noted that C. orientalis is endemic to Sri Lanka
which has been always confused with C. gachua.
While examining Channa
gachua from different parts of South and Southeast Asia, Ng et al. (1999)
observed many small black spots on the body of Indochinese specimens but not in
those of Indian and Sundaic specimens. They suspected involvement of more than one species. As Hamilton (1822) described the species from
northern Bengal, which belongs to Ganga drainage, the specimens under the
present study, which is within the range of its natural distribution, should beC. gachua sensu stricto. The
specimens from Manipur also agree with the description of Brahmaputra
specimens.
The
morphological and osteological comparison of the present 9 species of Channaexamined indicates that they constitute 2 phylectic groups each consisting of
species sharing these morphological features almost completely. The two groups are marulius group and gachuagroup. The marulius group
comprises of C. marulius and C. striata and gachua group
comprises of C. amphibeus, C. aurantimaculata, C. barca, C. bleheri, C.
gachua, C. punctatus and C. stewartii. The morphological similarity as seen among
species in each group is sufficient to suggest that members of the same group
are descendents from a common direct ancestral stock.
Morphologically
the members of the marulius group is differentiated from the gachuagroup in having a prominent V- shaped sharp isthmus, grouped sensory pores
arrangement, absence of big cycloid scales on the lower jaw whereas the members
of gachua group have U-shaped isthmus, single sensory pores arrangement,
presence of one or two big cycloid scales on each side of the lower jaw.
Gill rakers are
absent in Channid fishes studied. Instead, branchial tooth plates are present
on the gill arches Greenwood (1976). The
number of tooth plates ranges from 5-16 in different Channid species. Marulius group has 3-4 numbers of
branchial tooth plates in the epibranchial, presence of a prominent spine
shaped hypurapophysis in the parhypural and presence of an elongated urostyle
whereas the members of the gachua group has one or no branchial tooth
plates in the epibranchial region, no spine shaped hypurapophysis and presence
of a short urostyle.Tooth plates count are highest in marulius group.
Although C.
bleheri is included in the gachua group, the species does not have
pelvic fin. Another very significant
character of the species is that tooth plates are present only on the outer
side of the first gill arch and absent on the inner side of the same arch. Examination of more specimens would come out
with interesting results.
In caudal
skeleton of the genus studied, the last three caudal vertebrae support the
caudal fin. The last fused centrum bears
one parhypural, five hypural plates, one urostyle and one epural. The epural bone is thin, backwardly curved
and located anteriorly to the urostyle. An elongated bone which has no connection with any of the centrum is
present between the hemal spine of preuralcentrum 2 and preuralcentrum 3 (i.e
anterior to parhypural). Distal tip of
this bone supports the caudal-fin ray ventrally. The bone is referred as “interhemal
spine”. The presence of interhemal spine
is a very specific character found in all the species of Channa under
study. The illustration of Day (Plate IC, 1909) also have the interhemal spine
however, he treated it as hypural.
References
Courtenay, J., R. Walter and D. W.
James. (2004). Channa gachua Snakeheads (Pisces, Channidae) - A Biological Synopsis
and Risk Assessment. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological
Survey. USGS Circular 1251.
Day. A.L. (1909). The osseous
system of Ophiocephalus striatus Bloch. Proceedings of Washington
Academy of Science 507(3): 19-59.
Dehadrai, P.V. (1975). Derelict waters
for Air- Breathing fish culture. Indian Farming 19-23.
Eschmeyer, W. (2007). Catalog
of Fishes. www.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology; updated on October 9,
2007, accessed on November 30, 2007
Goswami, M.M., B. Arunav & P.
Janardan (2006).Comparative biometry, habitat structure and distribution of endemic snakehead
(Teleostei: Channidae) species of Assam, India. Journal of the Inland
Fisheries Society of India 38(1): 1-8.
Greenwood, P.H. (1976). A review of the
family centropomidae (Pisces, Perciformes). Bulletin of the British Museum
(Natural History) 29(1): 1-81.
Hamilton, F. (1822). An Account
of the Fishes Found in the River Ganges and Its Branches. Archibald
Constable and Company, London, 405pp + 39pls.
Hollister, G. (1934). Clearing and
dyeing fish for bone study. Zoologica 12: 89-101.
Hora, S.L. (1921). Fish and
fisheries of Manipur with some observations on those of the Naga Hills. Records
of Indian. Museum 22: 165-214.
Hora, S.L. & D.D. Mukerji (1934). Notes on fishes
in the Indian Museum. XXIL On a collection of fish from the S. Shan States and
the Pegu Yomas, Burma. Records of Indian Museum 36: 125-138.
Kullander, S.O. & R. Britz (2002). Revision of the
family Badidae (Teleostei: Perciformes), with description of a new genus and 10
new species. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 13(4): 295-372.
Menon, M.A.S. (1952). On a small
collection of fish from Manipur. Records of the Indian Museum 50:
265-270.
Menon, A.G.K. (1954). Further
observations on the fish fauna of the Manipur State. Records of Indian Museum52(1): 21-26.
Musikasinthorn, P. (2000). Channa
aurantimaculata, a new Channid fish from Assam (Brahmaputra River Basin),
India, with designation of a neotype for C. amphibeus (McClelland,
1845). Ichthyological Research 47(1): 27-37.
Ng, H.H., P.K.L. Ng & R. Britz
(1999). Channa harcourtbutleri (Annandale, 1918): a valid species of snakehead
(Perciformes: Channidae) from Myanmar. Journal of South Asian Natural
History 4: 57-6.
Sen, T.K. (1985). The fish fauna
of Assam and the neighbouring northeastern states of India. Occassional Paper,
Records of the Zoological Survey of India 64: 216.
Shaw, G.E. & E.O. Shebbeare (1937). The fishes of
Northern Bengal. Journal of Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal
(Science): 137 + 6 pls.
Talwar, P.K. & A.G. Jhingran (1991). Inland
Fishes of India and Adjacent Countries. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Pvt.
Ltd., New Delhi, 2 volumes: xix + 1158pp.
Vierke, J. (1991). Ein
farbenfroher neuer Schlangenkopffisch aus Assam Channa bleheri spec.
nov. Das Aquarium 259: 20-24.
Vishwanath, W. (2000). Fish Fauna
of Manipur. Manipur Association for Science and Society, 137pp + vi pls.
Vishwanath,
W. (2002). Fishes of North East India, A Field Guide to
Species Identification. Manipur University and NATP, 198pp.