Osphronemus

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Osphronemus
Giant.gourami.arp.jpg
Osphronemus goramy
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anabantiformes
Family: Osphronemidae
Subfamily: Osphroneminae
Bleeker, 1859
Genus: Osphronemus
Lacépède, 1801
Type species
Osphronemus goramy
Lacépède 1801
Osphronemus Map.jpg
Color: extant , Light color: possibly extant
Synonyms
  • TrichopusG. Shaw, 1803
  • OsphromenusGünther, 1861

Osphronemus is a genus of large gouramis, the only genus within the subfamily Osphroneminae. These fish are known as the giant gouramis and are native to rivers, lakes, pools, swamps and floodplains in Southeast Asia, with O. exodon from the Mekong basin, O. laticlavius and O. septemfasciatus from Borneo, while O. goramy is relatively widespread. [1] [2] [3] O. goramy has been introduced outside its native range in Asia, Africa and Australia. [4]

Contents

All the species are highly prized as food fish, leading to farming of O. goramy and rearing of O. septemfasciatus. [5] Osphronemus appear in the aquarium trade, but they are very long-lived, possibly reaching up to 40 years old, [5] and require a very large tank with a strong filter. [6]

Appearance

A white Osphronemus goramy, achieved through selective breeding in captivity Darica Gourami 02314.jpg
A white Osphronemus goramy , achieved through selective breeding in captivity

As suggested by their English name, they are by far the largest gouramis, reaching 50–70 cm (20–28 in) in standard length depending on the exact species involved. [1] Possibly the largest recorded specimen, an O. septemfasciatus caught in Sarawak, was 72.4 cm (28.5 in) in standard length and weighed 20.5 kg (45 lb). [5] Although the species are overall similar, they do differ in details of their pattern and colour, with some species having black or red sections or markings. [2] [3]

Behavior

Osphronemus goramy taking a mouthful of air from the water's surface Gurami Osphronemus goramy Tiergarten Schonbrunn Wien 2014 a.jpg
Osphronemus goramy taking a mouthful of air from the water's surface

Breeding has been described in detail for O. goramy: the male builds a bubble nest with plant material at the water's surface. [7] [8] The pair spawns nearby and the eggs are moved to the nest by the male, who guards them by himself. He continues to guard the young for a few weeks after they hatch from the eggs. [8] A rather similar breeding behavior has been reported for O. exodon, although in this species the nest is placed at the bottom of a 0.5–1 m (1.6–3.3 ft) deep pool, the female reportedly lives inside it for more than a month, while the male stays outside and guards it. [9]

Like other gouramis, the members of the genus Osphronemus are able to breathe by gulping air from the water's surface. Compared to other gouramis, their suprabranchial organ is highly elaborate, leading to speculations that they also may be able to detect smells in the air. This might help them to find the land vegetation that they feed on. [4] They feed mostly on fruits, seeds, leaves, flowers, bark and roots from land plants, macrophytes and algae, but will also take small animals like insects, worms, crustaceans, fish and amphibians. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Unlike the other species, adult O. exodon have quite conspicuous teeth on the outside of their lips. [3] This species often occurs in flooded forests, [11] and it will jump out of the water to pick fruits from overhanging branches. [12] Its unusual teeth may also be useful when feeding on roots and when building its nest. [9]

Species

Osphronemus laticlavius Osphronemidae - Osphronemus laticlavius.JPG
Osphronemus laticlavius

There are currently four recognized species in this genus: [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gourami</span> Family of fishes

Gouramis, or gouramies, are a group of freshwater anabantiform fish that comprise the family Osphronemidae. The fish are native to Asia—from the Indian Subcontinent to Southeast Asia and northeasterly towards Korea. The name "gourami", of Indonesian origin, is also used for fish of the families Helostomatidae and Anabantidae.

<i>Paracheirodon</i> Genus of fishes

Paracheirodon is a genus of freshwater fish in the family Characidae of the order Characiformes. The type species is P. innesi, the well-known neon tetra, and the Paracheirodon species are among the fishes known as tetras. All species of this genus are native to the Neotropical realm, occurring in the Orinoco and Amazon Basins in northern South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kissing gourami</span> Species of freshwater fish

Kissing gouramis, also known as kissing fish or kissers, are medium-sized tropical freshwater fish comprising the monotypic labyrinth fish family Helostomatidae. These fish originate from Mainland Southeast Asia, the Greater Sundas and nearby smaller islands, but have also been introduced outside their native range. They are regarded as a food fish and they are sometimes farmed. They are used fresh for steaming, baking, broiling, and pan frying. The kissing gourami is a popular aquarium fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croaking gourami</span> Species of fish

The croaking gourami is a species of small freshwater labyrinth fish of the gourami family. They are native to still waters in Southeast Asia and are distributed worldwide via the aquarium trade. Croaking gouramis are capable of producing a "croaking" noise using their pectoral fins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anabantoidei</span> Suborder of fishes

The Anabantoidei are a suborder of anabantiform ray-finned freshwater fish distinguished by their possession of a lung-like labyrinth organ, which enables them to breathe air. The fish in the Anabantoidei suborder are known as anabantoids or labyrinth fish, or colloquially as gouramies. Some labyrinth fish are important food fish, and many others, such as the Siamese fighting fish and paradise fish, are popular as aquarium fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thick-lipped gourami</span> Species of fish

The thick-lipped gourami is a species of gourami native to Southeast Asia, and is a popular aquarium fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moonlight gourami</span> Species of fish

The moonlight gourami, also known as the moonbeam gourami, is a labyrinth fish of the family Osphronemidae native to Indochina. This peaceful species is a popular aquarium fish.

<i>Trichopodus</i> Genus of fishes

Trichopodus is a genus of tropical freshwater labyrinth fish of the gourami family found in Southeast Asia. Gouramis of the genus Trichopodus are closely related to those of Trichogaster ; species of both genera have long, thread-like pelvic fins used to sense the environment. However, Trichopodus species have shorter dorsal fin base and, when sexually mature, are much larger, with the largest, the snakeskin gourami, capable of reaching a length of over 8 in (20 cm).

Parakysis is a genus of catfishes of the family Akysidae. It includes six species.

<i>Parosphromenus</i> Genus of fishes

Parosphromenus is a genus of gouramies native to freshwater in Southeast Asia. All species are highly specialized peat swamp inhabitants native to southeast Asia, and the males are usually brightly colored in breeding dress; however, their need for soft, acidic water and live food prohibits the genus from becoming popular aquarium fish.

Ceratoglanis is a genus of sheatfishes native to Asia.

Sternarchogiton nattereri is a species of weakly electric knifefish in the family Apteronotidae. It is native to the Amazon River system and feeds on sponges. Unlike other members of the genus Sternarchogiton, there is pronounced sexual dimorphism in S. nattereri, with reproductively mature males developing strong external teeth on tips of their jaws. These males are so different from the females and juveniles that they were thought to be a different genus and species, the "tooth-lip knifefish" Oedemognathus exodon, for over 40 years.

<i>Rasbora sarawakensis</i> Species of fish

Rasbora sarawakensis, also known as the blue line rasbora or Sarawak rasbora, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Rasbora which is endemic to the island of Borneo.

<i>Parachaenichthys</i> Genus of fishes

Parachaenichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Bathydraconidae, the Antarctic dragonfishes. They are found in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.

<i>Sphaerichthys</i> Genus of fishes

Sphaerichthys is a genus of gouramis native to Southeast Asia known as chocolate gourami. These species live mostly in blackwater rivers/swamps with acidic water. They have dark-light brownish hues with the exception being the female of S. vaillanti which can be dark reddish brown with green-dark blue/black stripes. They are shy fish that are hard to find because of their camouflage which when in action makes them look like a dead leaf floating along the river.

<i>Trichogaster fasciata</i> Species of fish

Trichogaster fasciata, the banded gourami or striped gourami or Colisa or Kholshe, is a tropical labyrinth perch found in some Asian countries like Bangladesh, Eastern India, Northeastern India, Nepal, Upper Myanmar, China and Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elephant ear gourami</span> Species of fish

The elephant ear gourami is a large species of gourami native to the Mekong river basin in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant red tail gourami</span> Species of fish

The giant red tail gourami is a large species of gourami belonging to the family Osphronemidae. This endangered fish is native to the Southeast Asian island of Borneo, where only known from the Kinabatangan and Segama river basins in Sabah, East Malaysia. First described in 1992 based on an aquarium specimen, its exact range was not entirely certain, leading some source to incorrectly also report it from Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant gourami</span> Species of fish

The giant gourami is a species of large gourami native to freshwater habitats in Southeast Asia. It has also been introduced elsewhere. The species is commercially important as a food fish and is also farmed. It can be found in the aquarium trade, as well. The species has been used for weed control on highly invasive aquatic plants like Salvinia molesta, as the giant gourami can be a voracious herbivore.

<i>Osphronemus septemfasciatus</i> Species of fish

Osphronemus septemfasciatus is a species of giant gourami, a type of Southeast Asian freshwater fish from the family Osphronemidae. It is endemic to the island of Borneo where it is found in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, in Brunei, and the Indonesian provinces of West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan and North Kalimantan. It is found in large slow-flowing rivers where it prefers the main channels, although juveniles also occur in large tributaries near the main river. Like its relatives, it is known to be an obligate air-breather. The largest recorded specimen of O. septemfasciatus, which possibly also is the largest giant gourami, was caught in Sarawak and it was 72.4 cm (28.5 in) in standard length, 87.2 cm (34.3 in) in total length and 20.5 kg (45 lb) in weight.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). Species of Osphronemus in FishBase . February 2014 version.
  2. 1 2 Roberts, T.R. (1992). Systematic revision of the Southeast Asian anabantoid fish genus Osphronemus, with descriptions of two new species. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 2(4):351–360.
  3. 1 2 3 Roberts, T.R. (1994). Osphronemus exodon, a new species of giant gourami with extraordinary dentition from the Mekong. Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society 42(1): 67–77.
  4. 1 2 Roberts, T.R. (1989). "The freshwater fishes of Western Borneo (Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia)". Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences. 14: 1–210.
  5. 1 2 3 Jongkar, G., and Nyanti, L. (2012). Notes on the giant gourami Osphronemus septemfasciatus Roberts, 1992 (Perciformes: Osphronemidae) from Batang Kanowit in Sarawak, Malaysia. The Sarawak Museum Journal LXX, No. 91: 239–255.
  6. 1 2 PracticalFishkeeping (13 June 2016). Elephant ear gourami, Osphronemus exodon.
  7. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2018). "Osphronemus goramy" in FishBase . December 2018 version.
  8. 1 2 3 SeriouslyFish: Osphronemus goramy.
  9. 1 2 3 Baird, I.G. (2007). Fishes and Forests: The Importance of Seasonally Flooded Riverine Habitat for Mekong River Fish Species. Nat. Hrsr. Bull. Siam Soc. 55(1): 121-148.
  10. Rainboth, W.J. (1996). Fishes of the Cambodian Mekong, p. 218. FAO, United Nations. ISBN   92-5-103743-4.
  11. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2018). "Osphronemus exodon" in FishBase . December 2018 version.
  12. SeriouslyFish: Osphronemus exodon.