Aenigmachanna mahabali

{{Short description|Species of fish}}

{{Speciesbox

| image =

| taxon = Aenigmachanna mahabali

| authority = Kumar, Basheer, and Ravi, 2019

| range_map = Aenigmachanna mahabali Map.jpg

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Aenigmachanna mahabali, the Mahabali snakehead, is a species of troglophilic snakehead fish that is endemic to the Indian state of Kerala.The fish is named after Mahabali, an asura king from Hindu mythology who lived underground and is associated with Onam. It is known from a single specimen recovered from a well over 200 kilometers south of the locality where its closest relative, A. gollum, was found. Alongside A. gollum, it is unique for being the only known cave-dwelling snakehead fish. It can be distinguished from A. gollum due to having fewer dorsal fin rays, vertebrae, and lateral scales, as well as its pectoral fin rays extending beyond the margin of the membrane, forming filaments.{{Cite journal|last1=Ravi|first1=Charan|last2=Basheer|first2=V. S.|last3=Kumar|first3=Rahul G.|date=2019-07-17|title=Aenigmachanna mahabali, a new species of troglophilic snakehead (Pisces: Channidae) from Kerala, India|journal=Zootaxa|language=en|volume=4638|issue=3|pages=410–418|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4638.3.6|pmid=31712470|s2cid=203899040 |issn=1175-5334}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/second-subterranean-snakehead-species-found/article28740444.ece|title=Second subterranean snakehead species found|access-date=2019-07-29|archive-date=2020-10-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010135152/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/second-subterranean-snakehead-species-found/article28740444.ece|url-status=live}}