UpdateBot at 14:15, 11 February 2022

2022-02-11T14:15:22Z

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{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Barca snakehead
| image = Channa barca - Hamilton 35 (cropped).jpg
| status = DD
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Chaudhry, S. |date=2010 |title=''Channa barca'' |volume=2010 |page=e.T166596A6244166 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T166596A6244166.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Channa
| species = barca
| authority = ([[Francis Buchanan-Hamilton|F. Hamilton]], 1822)
| synonyms = *''Ophiocephalus barca'' <small>Hamilton, 1822</small>
*''Ophicephalus nigricans'' <small>[[Georges Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1831</small>
| synonyms_ref = <ref name = FishBase/>
}}

The '''Barca snakehead''' (''Channa barca'') is a rare species of [[Snakehead (fish)|snakehead]]. It is [[Endemism|endemic]] to the upper [[Brahmaputra river]] basin in northeastern [[India]] and [[Bangladesh]].<ref name=FishBase>{{FishBase | genus = Channa | species = barca | month = February | year = 2019}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.iucnredlistbd.org/Species/Single/FI0003|title=Details - Updating Species Red List of Bangladesh|website=www.iucnredlistbd.org|access-date=2018-01-06}}</ref> Records from [[Nepal]] are of doubtful validity.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> Overall it has been assessed as [[data deficient]] by the [[IUCN]],<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> and in 2014 it was assessed as [[critically endangered]] in Bangladesh by the IUCN.<ref name=":0" /> In Assam, it is locally known as ''cheng garaka'' or ''garaka cheng''.

This is a relatively large snakehead, reaching a [[total length]] of up to {{cvt|105|cm|ft|1}}.<ref name=FishBase/> The species is regarded as an excellent [[food fish]],<ref name=FishBase/> and it is also highly desired by aquarists, but its rarity, behavior and large size makes it unsuitable for most aquariums.<ref name=SeriouslyFish>SeriouslyFish: [http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/channa-barca/ Channa barca]. Retrieved 14 February 2019.</ref>

== Distribution, habitat and behavior==
The barca snakehead is only known from the upper Brahmaputra river basin
the [[Assam]] and [[Nagaland]] in India,<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> and [[Sylhet Division|Sylhet]] in Bangladesh.<ref name=":0"/> Records from [[Nepal]] are of doubtful validity.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> It mostly inhabits wetlands, often near the margins, but can also be seen in riverine habitats.<ref name=Choudhury2003>Choudhury, M., and S.P. Biswas (2003). Maturity and spawning habit of an ornamental snakehead fish Channa barca (Hamilton). J. Ecophysiol. Occup. Hlth. 3: 149-152.</ref><ref name=Goswami2006>Goswami, M.M., B. Arunav, and 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.</ref> It is able to withstand large variations in water temperature and oxygen levels as its habitat experiences large seasonal changes in flood levels.<ref name=Choudhury2003/> It often inhabits a vertical tunnel that typically is around {{convert|1|m|ft|spell=in}} long and goes down to the [[water table]]. The tunnel ends in a chamber where the fish may spend the dry season when the wetlands above it disappear.<ref name=SeriouslyFish/> Some other snakeheads that inhabit the same general region as the barca snakehead have also been reported to "[[hibernate]]" during the dry season, including the closely related [[orange-spotted snakehead]] (''C. aurantimaculata'').<ref name=Gogoi2016>Gogoi, N., L.P. Hazarika and S.P. Biswas (2016). Studies on the reproductive biology and captive breeding of an endemic fish from Assam Channa aurantimaculata. Journal of Environmental Biology 37: 369-374. {{doi|10.13140/RG.2.1.1548.3763}}</ref> The overall conservation status of the barca snakehead is poorly known, but it appears to generally be a scarce or rare species.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /><ref name=SeriouslyFish/>

The species is highly carnivorous,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Freshwater fishes of Bangladesh|last=Rahman|first=A.K. Ataur|publisher=Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka|year=2005|location=Dhaka, Bangladesh}}</ref> feeding mostly on fish.<ref name=Choudhury2003/> Little is known about the breeding behavior, but like its nearest relatives it is likely a [[mouthbrooder]].<ref name=SeriouslyFish/> Maturity may occur when only {{cvt|12.5|cm|0}} long, but most individuals are around two or three times that size before they reach it.<ref name=Choudhury2003/> The breeding season is prolonged and begins when the [[beel]]s they inhabit are flooded by pre-[[Monsoon of South Asia|monsoonal]] rain in April–May. The species has a low [[fecundity]] and both parents take care of the young.<ref name=Choudhury2003/>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{ITIS |id=642748 |taxon=Channa barca |accessdate=18 April 2006}}
{{Wikispecies}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q150496}}

[[Category:Channa|Barca snakehead]]
[[Category:Goalpara]]
[[Category:Fish described in 1822]]

Barca snakehead - Revision history

UpdateBot at 14:15, 11 February 2022