Channa micropeltes

Giant snakehead
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anabantiformes
Family: Channidae
Genus: Channa
Species:
C. micropeltes
Binomial name
Channa micropeltes
(G. Cuvier, 1831)
Synonyms
  • Ophicephalus micropeltes Cuvier, 1831
  • Ophicephalus serpentinus Cuvier, 1831
  • Ophicephalus bivittatus Bleeker, 1845
  • Ophicephalus stevensii Bleeker, 1854
  • Ophiocephalus studeri Volz, 1903

Channa micropeltes, giant snakehead, giant mudfish or toman harimau, is among the largest species in the family Channidae, capable of growing to 1.3 m (4.3 ft) in length and a weight of 20 kg (44 lb). It is native to the fresh waters of Southeast Asia (South Indian populations are now regarded as a separate species, C. diplogramma), but has also been introduced elsewhere and is considered invasive in Taiwan. Other names include shol machh (শোল মাছ ) in Bengali, red snakehead, redline snakehead, and ikan toman (where ikan is fish in Malay and Indonesian).