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Channa Barb
Eechathalakenda ophicephalus
The Channa barb (Eechathalakenda ophicephalus) is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae, the family which includes the carps, barbs and related fishes. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Eechathalakenda, although this species was formerly placed in the genus Puntius. This species is endemic to the Western Ghats in southern India.
From the article Channa barb on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
The channa barb has two pairs of barbels, with both rostral and maxillary pairs. There are between 40 and 42 scales in the lateral line.The back is golden-brown and the ventral surface is silvery-brown with a wide, dark band along the lateral line. This species has a maximum published total length of 19.6 cm (7.7 in).
Range & habitat
The channa barb is endemic to southern India where it is restricted to the southern Western Ghats/ It has been recorded from the Periyar, Pamba and Meenachil rivers in Kerala, and has also been reported from the Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu.This fish is found in deep rocky pools of fast flowing hill streams with a substrate of cobble and gravel.
Wikipedia: “Distribution and habitat”
In human culture
The channa barb is the only known member of the genus Eechathalakenda which is the Tamil nemse for this fish, with kenda being the word for "carp" in that lkanguage. The specific name, ophicephalus, means "snake head", an allusion not explained by B. Sundara Raj. However, A. G. K. Menon did refer to the elongate shape of this fish and likened it to that of a snakehead of the genus Channa when he described its new genus.
Wikipedia: “Etymology”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 612716.