Fish Fauna of Asan River and Its Tributaries, Western Doon Valley, Dehradun (Uttarakhand), with Conservation Status of Species and Threats - Aquatic Ecosystem: Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation - page 254

Remarks
Kept in aquaria. Of no fi shery interest.

circular and suffused with blood, ventral side of the
body marked with diffused black blotches and
abdomen distended during breeding season.

37. Channa punctata (Bloch, 1793)
Ophiocephalus punctatus Bloch, 1793. Naturges,
Ausland , Fische , 8 : 139, pl. 358 (type locality:
rivers and lakes of Coromandel coast).
Ophiocephalus punctatus Husain, 2003 . Faun.
Asan Wetland, Wetland Ecosystem Series 5 :
23-26 (Asan River below its barrage).

Maximum Length
31.0 cm, commonly 15.0 cm.

Distribution

Uttarakhand
Garhwal Division: Dehradun, Haridwar and
Pauri districts. Kumaon Division: Nainital dis-
trict. Rajaji National Park.

English Name
Spotted Snakehead.

Local Names
Sauli, Sewal.

India
Throughout plains, Terai and Duars, up to an alti-
tude of 600 m. Kerala (Wayanad), Maharashtra,
Odisha (Chilka Lake), Tamil Nadu (Bhavani
river) and West Bengal.

Localities Surveyed
Asan River below barrage, at Dhalipur; Herbertpur,
villages Partitpur and Bairagiwala near Herbertpur;
small stream near Asan Barrage, Dhalipur.
Ponds at Jassowala near Sahaspur and Selakui.

Elsewhere
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China (Yunnan),
Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Malaysia and Thailand (doubtful).

Diagnostic Characters
D. 0/29-30, P. 0/16-17, V. 1/5, A. 0/20-21, C.
12, L.l. 36-39.
Body cylindrical; rosette of cephalic shields
elliptical and inter-orbital with two transverse
rows of shields between it and basal shield, fron-
tal shield separated from single inter-nasal, lie in
the centre; dorsal fi n long, low, origin in relation
to the pelvics variable; pectorals ovate; pelvic
fi ns shorter with obliquely convex margin; anal
fi n also long, low, inserted under about the 9th or
10th dorsal ray; caudal fi n almost rounded; lat-
eral line, curving down after about the 13-16th
scale. Body olive green above, becoming yellow-
ish on sides and paler below, about 7-8 dark,
almost triangular bands on upper half and about
9-11 same-type bands below on the lateral sides
of the body; three dark stripes behind the eye; a
black spot behind the operculum; ventral side
marked with blackish dots; dorsal, anal and cau-
dal fi ns darker, edged with white; paired fi ns pale.
Sexual Dimorphism: In male, urinogenital
opening elongated, ventral side of the body pro-
fusely dotted with black and abdomen not dis-
tended, whereas in female, the urinogenital opening

Habitat and Ecology
Found in ponds, swamps, brackish water, ditches
and lakes. Adults prefer stagnant waters in muddy
streams. Feed on worms, insects and small fi sh.
Breed throughout the year.

Conservation Status
IUCN Red List, least concern.

Remarks
Of minor fi shery interest. Commonly used as
food by the locals. Kept in aquaria and occasion-
ally used as bait (used as live bait for angling
larger snakeheads; accepts chopped fi sh and
shrimp in the aquarium).
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Amblycipitidae
Genus: Amblyceps Blyth, 1858

38. Amblyceps mangois (Hamilton, 1822)
Pimelodus mangois Hamilton, 1822. Fish.
Ganges : 199-201, 379 (type locality: tanks of
northern Bihar).