Fishes of Afghanistan; a revised and updated annotated checklist Author Çiçek, Erdoğan Author Fricke, Ronald 0000-0003-1476-6990 Author Eagderi, Soheil 0000-0002-1134-0356 Author Sungur, Sevil 0000-0003-4018-6375 Author Coad, Brian W 0000-0002-7232-961X Author Hamdard, Mohammad Hamid 0000-0002-5915-6574 erdogancicek@nevsehir.edu.tr text Zootaxa 2023 2023-06-16 5305 1 1 69 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5305.1.1 journal article 56221 10.11646/zootaxa.5305.1.1 c640363c-14f9-4912-8a38-2948ab4946f1 1175-5326 8048564 55EB7903-BB1A-45F9-9660-16DAF957C67A Channa argus ( Cantor, 1842 ) [I]—Northern snakehead Taxonomy. Original description: Ophicephalus argus Cantor, 1842: 484 [Chusan Island, China ; syntypes : BMNH 1843.7.21.3 (1), 1843.7.21.11–12 (9)].— Afghanistan synonyms: None.—Revisions: Berg (1949: 1005) as Ophiocephalus argus warpachowskii .—Illustration: Berg (1949: 1005 , fig. 740) as Ophiocephalus argus warpachowskii . Status in Afghanistan . First record from Afghanistan by Coad (2014: 319) .—Afghanistan materials: None. Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Afghanistan : Amu Darya.—General distribution: East Asia : China , Korea and Russia ; introduced elsewhere.—Habitat: This species is mainly found in freshwater main rivers and smaller tributaries, as well as lakes and marshy water systems. This species is considered invasive and known to predate native fauna. It makes seasonal migrations in the autumn from lakes and bays to main riverbeds (deeper places of the main stream), where it hibernates, and in the spring it moves back to shallow areas. Freshwater. Economic importance. Commercially important. Reasons of introduction. Fisheries: enhancement of wild stocks and sports fishing. Conservation. Not relevant (introduced species).