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Dwarf snakehead (Channa gachua)

Bogo or kotes or kutuk benguk or dwarf snakehead (Channa gachua) is an animal species in Channidae, freshwater fish, relatively small in size, has a very diverse morphology and requires the development of a comprehensive classification, active predators in small rivers and stagnant waters, cloudy or low in oxygen.

C. gachua is up to 20 cm long, cylindrical at the front and slightly flattened and erect at the back and a height comparable to 5.5-6.5 times the standard body length. The head is slightly flattened horizontally, flat on the top side, tilted flat forward or slightly convex.

Dlium Dwarf snakehead (Channa gachua)


Eyes are proportional to 5-8 times the length of the head. The slit of the mouth slopes upward with the lower jaw protruding forward. The dorsal fin consists of 31-35 fingers, the anal fin consists of 21-24 fingers, the pectoral fin consists of 13-16 fingers and the ventral fin consists of 6 fingers. The lateral line has 41-43 lines, veering down behind the scales in the order of 11-13.

There are 3-3 scales of scales between the base of the dorsal fin with the lateral line and 7 rows of scales between the lateral line and the base of the ventral fin. The base of the dorsal fin is between 13-14 scales from the tip of the snout, the beginning of the dorsal fin is behind the base of the pectoral fin and the tip is approximately behind the end of the anal fin.

The ventral fin begins in front of the beginning of the dorsal fin and is about half the length of the pectoral fin. Approximately 5 rows of scales are located behind the eye to the back border of the pre-operculum and 3 rows of scales on the operculum.

Adults have a line of oblique scribbles that run down the sides of the body. Young have a more visible line of oblique scribbles on the sides of the body and often have black spots scattered all over the body.



The dorsal, anal and caudal fins have whitish or yellowish or reddish edges when alive, the rest are bluish black or paler with black streaks. Pectoral fin with black circular patterns on the base and white or yellow on the outside.

Occasionally, both female and female individuals have an ocellus near the dorsal end of the dorsal fin, this pattern is only found in both the young and female. There are also no ventral fins.

Bogos are often found in rivers, especially shallow small rivers in mountainous and hilly areas, small rivers in forests, lakes, ponds and waters that are still, cloudy or low in oxygen at an elevation of up to 1,500 m.

These fish often come out of the water to move across land. The female produces 20-300 eggs which are immediately fertilized by the male. After hatching the eggs and babies will be nurtured and protected in the mother's mouth.

Bogo prey on a variety of small fish, insects, tadpoles, shrimp, crabs and various other small animals that pass nearby. This fish is widespread throughout South and Southeast Asia with a diversity of chromosomes, morphology, behavior and number of eggs that encourage researchers to break down more than one species and see the need for thorough revision.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Channidae
Genus: Channa
Species: Channa gachua

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