Juvenile Channa Barca??

stan_lcl

Feeder Fish
Aug 19, 2014
4
0
0
HK
Hi all, I come across this snakehead during my trip to China. Can anyone ID it? Is it a Juvenile Channa Barca?

image.jpg

image.jpg
 

-DC-

Polypterus
MFK Member
Sep 3, 2009
1,606
111
96
Canada
It's not a barca, lool like a stewertii varrient.
 

chronick

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Oct 18, 2009
581
68
61
Canada
A Juvenile Channa Barca is very obvious when you see it. It looks like a longer version of a channa aurantimaculata, but with the colors of a barca. I also want to mention that juvenile colors are almost prismatic in appearance(almost like a rainbow), and the black spotting is very small and consistent throughout the body. The body is generally smooth and elongated, but they still have that "barca face" with the eyes positioned more forward on a big round head.

It's hard to describe, and i fear words alone are not enough. Here are some pictures...
These are not my photos, credit to whoever they belong

barca71.jpg
04121730_5348f99ec2c30.jpg

Tabby's young channa
[video=youtube;qtNfZM2QQac]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtNfZM2QQac[/video]

edit: by the way, your posted picture is a channa true blue, a variant in the stewartii complex.

barca71.jpg

04121730_5348f99ec2c30.jpg
 
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