Praveenraj Jayasimhan, Moulitharan Nallathambi, Pavan-Kumar Annam, Naveen Ravi Shanthy, Thackeray Tejas, Yumnam Rameshori, Gurumayum Shantabala Devi
Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute; Sri Vijaya Puram; Andaman and Nicobar Islands; India; 744 101..
Dr. M.G.R. Fisheries College and Research Institute; Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalaithaa Fisheries University; Ponneri; India; 601 204..
Zootaxa. 2025 Mar 27;5613(2):337-350. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5613.2.8.
Channa nachi, a new species of snakehead from Meghalaya, Northeast India, is distinguished from its congeners by a creamish-yellow to pale-brown coloured anterior and bluish posterior half of body; sides with 10-12 obliquely-arranged, pale-brown, saddle-like bands; translucent orange pectoral fin with 2-3 faint orange or brown bands; and with a COI genetic divergence of 9.7-20.0%. We review the descriptions of C. melanostigma, C. pomanensis, and C. brahmacharyi, and find C. brahmacharyi to be conspecific with C. pomanensis. We provide additional data to distinguish C. melanostigma and C. pomanensis, and conclude that C. brahmacharyi is a junior synonym of C. pomanensis.
