A 20cm specimen seen in a shallow swampy stream, at the foot of Gunung
Panti, Johor, Peninsular Malaysia.
A dark, 25 cm specimen from Bukit Timah, Singapore.
10cm sub-adult in a shallow forest stream, Singapore.
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A species of slow-flowing
or sluggish tropical rivers and swamps, the Black Snakehead is best
identified in the field by the arrangement of dark patches on the dorsal
side, set against a greenish background.
The body shape is
typically streamlined, and the dorsal and anal fins are long, extending to
the tail fin. Its diet is carnivorous and includes freshwater vertebrates
and invertebrates.
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This 25 cm specimen from
Singapore is greenish and lacks black markings. |
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The species occurs in the
Mekong River Basin of Thailand, and possibly Laos and Cambodia, down through
Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore to the Philippines and some Indonesian
islands, including Borneo.
Family : CHANNIDAE
Species : Channa melasoma
Maximum Length : 30 cm
References : F1
A 25cm adult lurks in a muddy pool surrounded by
its newly hatched fry. |
