The Moon Snakehead is a fish of the family Snakehead family and the genus Snakehead. The weight is generally 100-250 grams, and the maximum individual weight is 500 grams. The dorsal and ventral edges of the body are almost straight, and the caudal peduncle is short. The head is broad and medium-large. The end of the maxilla reaches or extends below the posterior edge of the eye.

The head and body are covered with medium-large round scales; the scales on the head are irregularly enlarged. 1 dorsal fin, continuous, starting point just above the base of the pectoral fin, and the terminal fin extends beyond the base of the caudal fin. No pelvic fins. Each fin has no spines. The peritoneum is white.

No pyloric caeca. The intestine is thin and short, with two twists and turns. The swim bladder is long and slender. The body is greenish-brown or gray-black, with a darker color on the back and a grayish-white abdomen; there are 7-10 bracket-shaped dark-brown horizontal stripes along the middle of the sides of the body; the back of the head is dark brown, and there are 2 black vertical strips behind the eyes on the side of the head.

Extended information:

Living habits:

Moon snakeheads often swim slowly in mountain streams and on the edge of banks or ridge caves. It is ferocious in nature and feeds on small aquatic animals such as small fish, shrimps, and aquatic insects. It usually goes out for food at night and inhabits aquatic plants during the day.

It also likes to jump, and will jump upward or out of the water under the impact of water. When the water is deprived of oxygen, it can raise its head and breathe air with the help of auxiliary organs in the gill cavity. The head does not die due to lack of oxygen in the water and can survive for a long time without water, which is conducive to high-density intensive farming and live fish transportation.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Yuechang