Channa amphibeus rediscovered after 85 years
A large species of snakehead has been rediscovered by researchers in West Bengal, India. The Chel Snakehead, Channa amphibeus, was last recorded over 80 years ago and was feared extinct until three specimens were collected last year.
The Thackeray Wildlife Foundation said on Facebook:
We are thrilled to announce the rediscovery of Channa amphibeus, one of the world’s rarest and most elusive snakehead species! Described in 1840 from the Chel River system, the species was last recorded over 80 years ago despite repeated searches and scientific efforts in the interim, leading some to consider it extinct and cementing its mythical status in ichthyology.
Commonly known as the Chel Snakehead, this large and vibrant species is distinguished by chrome-yellow to orange stripes, a bright neon patch beneath the eye, and the highest number of lateral-line scales among all snakeheads of the Gachua group.
The resolution of this long-standing mystery in Indian ichthyology reinforces the importance of continued exploration and highlights the persistence of biodiversity, even in species once thought lost to time.
What we think
To the lay aquarist, juvenile Channa amphibeus look like Channa aurantimaculatus, whereas large mature adults resemble Channa barca. This change of pattern and colouration led many, even locals, to think that some snakeheads were separate or different species in times gone by.
Channa barca was itself the subject of myth for a long time until (the tale goes,) that one was spotted crawling out of the water to eat an insect. Channa amphibeus is so named because it was also found away from the water, in a hole in the mud, demonstrating just how amphibious some snakehead species can be.
If that area of the Chel River has been open for ornamental fish collection during recent decades then it is likely that C.amphibeus may have already been traded under a different name. If not, it is the new Holy Grail for Snakehead and Monster Fish collectors.
