Elongate glassy perchlet
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| Elongate Glassy Perchlet Conservation status: Secure | ||||||||||||||
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| Chanda nama Hamilton, 1822 |
The elongate glassy perchlet (Chanda nama) is a species of freshwater fish in the Asiatic glassfish family (family Ambassidae) of order Perciformes. The only species of genus Chanda Hamilton, 1822, it is native to an area of south Asia from Pakistan to Burma, in the Indomalaya ecozone.
C. nama reaches a maximum overall length of 11 cm (4.3 in).
The species inhabits canals, ponds, streams, and flooded rice paddies, in both fresh and brackish water, and is found in particular abundance during the rainy season. Feeding on mosquito larvae and worms, the species may have potential use in controlling malaria and parasites.
The fish are harvested and sold for food in local markets.
Several other species of family Ambassidae were formerly classified in genus Chanda, including the well-known Indian glassy fish (Parambassis ranga)—the "glassfish" of the aquarium trade—and the highfin glassy perchlet (P. lala), once considered the type species of the genus.
C. nama is known by a variety of names locally, including "perchlet" and several variations on its generic name ("chanda", "channa", etc.); internationally it is also known as the elongated glassfish.