Channa argus (Cantor)

Chan, Jeffery C. F., Tsang, Alphonse H. F., Yau, Sze-man, Hui, Tommy C. H., Lau, Anthony, Tan, Heok Hui, Low, Bi Wei, Dudgeon, David & Liew, Jia Huan, 2023, The non-native freshwater fishes of Hong Kong: diversity, distributions, and origins, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 71, pp. 128-168 : 141

Channa argus (Cantor)

( Fig. 22A )

Distribution. Ng Tung River (GBIF.org, 2021); Kowloon Reservoir; Tai Lam Chung Reservoir (current survey).

Native range. Amur River Basin to South China ( East Asia).

Remarks. This species is occasionally sold together with Channa maculata and Channa argus × Channa maculata hybrids in local wet markets. Channa argus is bigger than C. maculata , with larger lateral blotches and a well-separated dorsal head pattern ( Fig. 22A, B 1 ) between the eyes ( Ou et al., 2018). Morphometrics cannot adequately differentiate between juveniles of C. argus , C. maculata , and C. argus × C. maculata hybrids in Hong Kong. A region-wide integrative taxonomic assessment is necessary to adequately understand the scale of introductions, breeding, and hybridisation of native and non-native channids. This species is sometimes released during Buddhist rituals.

Figures

Fig. 22. A, Channa argus, Ng Tung River, Channa maculata, B1, (dorsal head pattern), B2, (lateral pattern), She Shan River (uncertain origin), Channa argus × Channa maculata hybrid, C1, (dorsal head pattern), C2, (lateral pattern), Ng Tung River.

Fig. 1. Atractosteus spatula, aquarium trade, photographed by Heok Hui Tan.