Osphronemus | |
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Osphronemus goramy | |
Scientific classification | |
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 | |
Color: extant , Light color: possibly extant | |
Synonyms | |
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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]
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]
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]
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]
There are currently four recognized species in this genus: [1]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The thick-lipped gourami is a species of gourami native to Southeast Asia, and is a popular aquarium 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The elephant ear gourami is a large species of gourami native to the Mekong river basin in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.
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.
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.
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.