Parachanna

Parachanna is a genus of snakeheads native to freshwater habitats in tropical Africa. Three recognized extant (living) species are in this genus, but a phylogenetic study from 2017 indicates that a fourth, currently undescribed species also exists.^[1]

Parachanna
P. africana (above), P. obscura (below)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anabantiformes
Family:	Channidae
Genus:	Parachanna Teugels & Daget, 1984
Type species
Ophiocephalus obscurus Günther, 1861
Species
See text
Combined range of the Parachanna species

One fossil species, Parachanna fayumensis Murray, 2006 dated to the Upper Eocene and Lower Oligocene is known from the Jebel Qatrani Formation of the Fayum Depression, Egypt.

Species

The three recognized extant species in this genus are:^[2]

• Parachanna africana (Steindachner, 1879) (African snakehead)
• Parachanna insignis (Sauvage, 1884) (brown snakehead)
• Parachanna obscura (Günther, 1861) (obscure snakehead)