Parachanna is a genus of snakeheads native to freshwater habitats in tropical Africa. Three recognized extant (living) species are in this genus, but a phylogenetic study from 2017 indicates that a fourth, currently undescribed species also exists.[1]

Parachanna
P. africana (above),

P. obscura (below)

Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anabantiformes
Family: Channidae
Genus: Parachanna
Teugels & Daget, 1984
Type species
Ophiocephalus obscurus
Günther, 1861
Species

See text

Combined range of the Parachanna species

One fossil species, Parachanna fayumensis Murray, 2006 dated to the Upper Eocene and Lower Oligocene is known from the Jebel Qatrani Formation of the Fayum Depression, Egypt.

Species edit

The three recognized extant species in this genus are:[2]

References edit

  • "Parachanna". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 6 June 2006.
  1. ^ Conte-Grand, C., Britz, R., Dahanukar, N., Raghavan, R., Pethi-yagoda, R., Tan, H.H., Hadiaty, R.K., Yaakob, N.S. & Rüber, L. (2017). Barcoding snakeheads (Teleostei, Channidae) re-visited: Discovering greater species diversity and resolving perpetuated taxonomic confusions. PLoS ONE, 12 (9): e0184017.
  2. ^ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). Species of Parachanna in FishBase. February 2013 version.