Parachanna obscura (Günther, 1861)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The obscure snakehead (Parachanna obscura) is a species of snakehead in the family Channidae. This species is found in central Africa along the western coastline from as far north as Senegal to as far south as Zaire and into southwest Sudan.
Wikipedia contributors, Obscure snakehead; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:30:51.133030+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Parachanna obscura (Günther, 1861)
- Name authority
- (Günther, 1861)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anabantiformes
- Family
- Channidae
- Genus
- Parachanna
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderAnabantiformes
- suborderChannoidei
- familyChannidae Fowler, 1934
- genusParachanna Teugels & Daget, 1984
- speciesParachanna obscura (Günther, 1861)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Parachanna. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Parachanna insignis (Sauvage, 1884) | ChannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Parachanna africana (Steindachner, 1879) | ChannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Paraphiocephalus obscurus (Günther, 1861) (Günther, 1861) | synonym |
| Ophiocephalus obscurus Günther, 1861 Günther, 1861 | synonym |
| Channa obscura (Günther, 1861) (Günther, 1861) | synonym |
| Channa obscurus (Günther, 1861) (Günther, 1861) | synonym |
| Ophicephalus obscurus (Günther, 1861) (Günther, 1861) | synonym |
| Parophiocephalus obscurus (Günther, 1861) (Günther, 1861) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=743374 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4CPBC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.