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Genetic diversity and morphological stasis in the Ceylon Snakehead, Channa orientalis (Teleostei: Channidae)

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Abstract

As the type species of the genus Channa, the identity of the pelvic-finless snakehead Channa orientalis Bloch is important to channid systematics. Although this name has been attached to a Sri Lankan species for the past 160 years, its vaguely specified type locality, ‘India Orientali’, has long cast doubt as to its origin. Here, based on a collection across its range in the island and analysis of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) barcoding gene, we show that the Sri Lankan pelvic-finless Channa is composed of two geographically discrete lineages separated by an uncorrected pairwise cox1 genetic distance of 6.9–8.1%. The minimum genetic distance between these two lineages and other species of the Gachua group of Channa is 5.1%. Despite their genetic divergence, the two lineages exhibit remarkable morphological stasis: they are indistinguishable from each other in external morphology. We argue that the type locality of C. orientalis is south-western Sri Lanka, to which the species is endemic. Channa orientalis is distinguished from other species of Channa by the absence of pelvic fins, adult coloration in life, dorsal- and anal-fin ray counts, number of vertebrae, and scale counts.

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Acknowledgements

HS and MM are grateful to the Director General of Wildlife Conservation and the Conservator General of Forests, Sri Lanka, for permission to carry out field work. HS thanks Sanuja Kasthuriarachchi, Director of National Museums, and Lankani Somarathna and her staff, for access to specimens; the Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka, for providing financial support; Dushantha Kandambi and Geeth Gunasekara for allowing individuals of Channa orientalis in their aquaria to be photographed, and for the kind hospitality. HS and TR thank Charana Widuranga, Dhanushka Lakshan, Kasthuri Krishantha and Kumudu Wijesooriya for assistance in the field. We are grateful to Chiho Ikebe for assistance with laboratory work. Finally, RP thanks Maurice Kottelat for advising on the revision of an earlier draft of the manuscript and helping with understanding Gronovius’s text. We are grateful to Heok Hui Tan and Lukas Rüber for reviews that helped to improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Evolutionary Ecology and Systematics Lab, Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

    Hiranya Sudasinghe

  2. Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

    Hiranya Sudasinghe

  3. Butterfly Conservation Society of Sri Lanka, 762/A, Yatihena, Malwana, Sri Lanka

    R. H. Tharindu Ranasinghe

  4. Ichthyology Section, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney, NSW, 2010, Australia

    Rohan Pethiyagoda

  5. Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology & Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, People’s Republic of China

    Madhava Meegaskumbura

  6. Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Museum für Tierkunde, Königsbrücker Landstrasse 159, 01109, Dresden, Germany

    Ralf Britz

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  1. Hiranya Sudasinghe
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Sudasinghe, H., Ranasinghe, R.H.T., Pethiyagoda, R. et al. Genetic diversity and morphological stasis in the Ceylon Snakehead, Channa orientalis (Teleostei: Channidae). Ichthyol Res 68, 67–80 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-020-00768-0

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