Channa marulius (Hamilton, 1822)

Dam, Debashree & Kumar, Anil, 2018, Fish Fauna of D’ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary and adjacent areas, Arunachal Pradesh, India, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 118 (2), pp. 162-162 : 162-

18. Channa marulius (Hamilton, 1822)

1822. Ophiocephalus marulius Hamilton. Fish Ganges. pp. 65. 367. pl. 17. fig 19 (Type locality-River Ganges).

Common name: Great Snake Head

Material examined: 01 Ex. (Regd. No.V/APFS/P-499),

Sibia River near Borguli Range, DWS, 13.10.06

Distribution within NE: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur. Distribution within Arunachal Pradesh: River Subansiri (Lower Subansiri district), River Dikrong (Papumpare District), River Siang (East Siang district), Naodhing (Lohit district).

Special remarks: Its status is LRnT. Mostly found in sluggish or standing water and in the present study it was collected from a stagnant pool formed by the side of the Sibia River.This species is a recommended species for cage culture ( Nath and Dey, 2000). This species can be easily distinguished from other close species of Channa by the presence of an ocellus at the upper portion of caudal fin.

Conclusion

The study revealed 18 species belonging to 5 orders and 7 families with the record of a new species of fish, Barilius arunachalensis ( Nath, Dam & Kumar, 2010) from DWS. Record of the new species throws light on the fact that DWS could be home to many more significant species of fish. The area need to be surveyed extensively for a comprehensive record of fish fauna of DWS. Seasonal studies and surveys in the monsoon months is suggested which is likely to reveal more rare/migrant species.