Sphaerichthys vaillanti

Last updated

Sphaerichthys vaillanti
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anabantiformes
Family: Osphronemidae
Genus: Sphaerichthys
Species:
S. vaillanti
Binomial name
Sphaerichthys vaillanti
Pellegrin, 1930

Sphaerichthys vaillanti, known as Vaillant's chocolate gourami, Samurai gourami, or Samurai zebra gourami , [1] is a species of gourami. It is native to Asia, where it is known from mainly the Kapuas river in the west Kalimantan, (Kalimantan Barat)[1], region of Borneo in Indonesia. It is generally seen in pairs in small creeks or drainage where wood debris is abundant. It is known to mimic dead leaves as a form of camouflage. The species reaches about 6 cm (2.5 inches) in standard length and is known to be a facultative air-breather. [2]

Contents

Taxonomy

This species descends from the ray-finned fishes, infraclass Teleostei, clade Percomorpha, and order Anabantiformes. It is an anabantoid from the family Osphronemidae (gouramis), and subfamily of Luciocephalinae. It is then from the genus Sphaerichthys and finally species vaillanti.

Discovery and History

This species was discovered and described by Leon Vaillant, who mistakenly first thought of it as a Frail gourami (Ctenops nobilis).

It was then named after Leon by Jacques Pellegrin for discovering the new species. The year of its description is 1832.

Life Cycle

Unlike many other fish species, the female of these mouthbrooders actually initiates the courting behavior, and during this time, they will remain upright for many hours during reproduction. The female will then lay the eggs, about 10-40, and the male will gather them in his mouth. He will then hide while the female guards the area to protect the eggs.

Description

The male and female of this species have great sexual dimorphism as the females are brightly colored red with a predominant green and dark vertical stripes. The males are much simpler with a dull reddish brown with a few vertical and horizontal white lines. Juveniles are brown with clear caudal tails and white markings throughout. All of the coloring that these anabantoids have are to resemble the dead leaf litter and debris that is found naturally in their environment.

Threats

This species is threatened in many ways in that it is an endemic species to Borneo. It is very sought after in the aquarium trade, making it vulnerable to going extinct due to mass collection. Habitat destruction and pollution from illegal gold mining also threaten this gourami, as by the time of discovery and conservation attempts it is speculated that a good amount of the population was already lost to human actions.

Coexisting Species

In the island of Borneo, the endemic plant genus of Bucephalandra live in the many rivers. Among them some species such as B. brownie sp. coexist with S. Vaillanti in the Kapuas River. Other fish species include Clown loaches, Tiger barbs, Shelford’s loach, possibly the half-banded loach, and various species of bagrid catfish. One species of endemic snake, the Kapuas mud-snake, also lives in the river.

In the Aquarium

Sphaerichthys vaillanti above Java moss.jpg

This species is rarely seen in the aquarium trade, and is usually stocked from specialist breeders or lucky in smaller local fish stores.

Samurai gourami pair in aquarium.jpg

When found, it usually requires a 10+ gallon aquarium that has a PH of 3.5-6.8, and is decorated with wood, botanicals, a sandy substrate, and tannin stained water. It needs soft and acidic water along with little flow which replicates its habitat. It is an omnivore eating plant and algae matter along with small creatures such as daphnia and worms. The fry can use the diatoms from the decay of plant matter as a secondary food source. This species is somewhat sensitive to ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates as in is habitat, the constant rain constantly purifies the water. However, these fish like stable water chemistry so water changes should be at the most 10-15%. They are also sensitive to bacteria in the water column. This means that peat-filtration is recommended. The antibacterial properties of tannins in botanicals which are common in the Kapuas river keep it pure, even though muddy waters make up most of the river. When they are in the aquarium, a group of 6+ is recommended for them to create a pecking order and even a society. These intelligent fish are very peaceful and inquisitive at their surroundings. They must be fed with live foods as they will refuse processed foods. Only when you are able to wean them off the live foods can you get them to eat processed foods with the live foods given once every other few days to boost their health. This species however, is susceptible to disease.

Related Research Articles

<i>Cryptocoryne</i> Genus of aquatic plants

Cryptocoryne is a genus of aquatic plants from the family Araceae. The genus is naturally distributed in tropical regions of India, Southeast Asia and New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clown loach</span> Species of fish

The clown loach, or tiger botia, is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the botiid loach family. It is the sole member of the genus Chromobotia. It originates in inland waters in Indonesia on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. In Sentarum, West Borneo that fish named: ulanguli. It is a popular fish in the freshwater aquarium trade and is sold worldwide.

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

The three spot gourami, also known as the opaline gourami, blue gourami, and gold gourami, is a species of fish native to southeastern Asia, but also introduced elsewhere. This gourami gets its name from the two spots along each side of its body in line with the eye, considered the third spot. This species is of minor commercial importance as a food fish in its native range and is also farmed. It is also popular in the aquarium trade. The species reaches 15 cm in standard length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kapuas River</span> River in West Kalimantan, Indonesia

The Kapuas River is a river in the Indonesian part of Borneo island, at the geographic center of Maritime Southeast Asia. At 1,143 kilometers (710 mi) in length, it is the longest river in the island of Borneo and the longest river in Indonesia and one of the world's longest island rivers. It originates in the Müller mountain range at the center of the island and flows west into the South China Sea creating an extended marshy delta. The delta is located west-southwest of Pontianak, the capital of the West Kalimantan province. This Kapuas River should be distinguished from another Kapuas River, which starts on the other side of the same mountain range in central Borneo but flows to the south, merging with the Barito River and discharging into the Java Sea.

<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">Léon Vaillant</span> French zoologist (1834–1914)

Léon Louis Vaillant was a French zoologist. He is most famous for his work in the areas of herpetology, malacology, and ichthyology.

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

The chocolate gourami is a species of gourami native to the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. Chocolate gouramis reach a length of 6 cm (2.4 in). These fish have a chocolate colour with golden bands running down their bodies.

<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">Pygmy gourami</span> Species of fish

The pygmy gourami, also known as the sparkling gourami, is a freshwater species of gourami native to Southeast Asia.

<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.

<i>Osphronemus</i> Genus of fishes

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. O. goramy has been introduced outside its native range in Asia, Africa and Australia.

<i>Luciocephalus pulcher</i> Species of fish

Luciocephalus pulcher, the pikehead, giant pikehead or crocodile pikehead, is a species of gourami native to the Malaya Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. It is a yellowish-brown fish with dark brown longitudinal bands and stripes, and can reach a length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in) SL.

Betta mandor is a species of gourami endemic to the island of Borneo where it is only known from the Indonesian province of Kalimantan Barat where it is found in the Kapuas basin. It is an inhabitant of streams and pools in forested swamps, usually found in quite shallow waters. It feeds on insects and other small invertebrate prey. This species can reach a length of 5.7 centimetres (2.2 in) TL. This species can also be found in the aquarium trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Sentarum National Park</span> National park in Indonesia

The Lake Sentarum National Park is a national park protecting one of the world's most biodiverse lake systems, located in the heart of Borneo Island, Kapuas Hulu Regency, West Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. It lies in the upper Kapuas River tectonic basin some 700 kilometres upstream from the delta. The basin is a vast floodplain, consisting of about 20 seasonal lakes, freshwater swamp forest and peat swamp forest. Local people call it as Lebak lebung (floodplain). The National Park is located in the western part of this basin, where three-quarters of the seasonal lakes occur. Approximately half of the park consists of lakes, while the other half consists of freshwater swamp forest.

<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>Pangio semicincta</i> Species of fish

Pangio semicincta, the half-banded kuhli loach, is a species of cobitid loach in the genus Pangio found in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and Sumatra. It is a very popular fish in the aquarium trade, however, it is often confused for and mislabeled as Pangio kuhlii, a slightly larger-bodied fish, which is rarely found in the aquarium trade due to it being endemic to Java, Indonesia, where field-collection for the fish trade is a rare occurrence.

Vaillantella maassi, the forktail loach, is a species of loach in the family Vaillantellidae, a monogeneric family with two other species, Vaillantella cinnamomea and Vaillantella euepiptera. They are from Southeast Asia.

<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.

<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>Betta pi</i> Species of Fish

Betta pi is a species of gourami belonging to the genus Betta. It is found in the Pru Toe-Daeng peat swamps in Narathiwat Province in Southern Thailand, but its range also extends into northern Peninsular Malaysia, most notably the states of Kelantan and Terengganu. It is primarily found in well-shaded peat forest blackwater swamps and creeks where the pH can be as low as 3.0 or 4.0. It is benthopelagic. It can grow to a maximum length of 9.0 cm (3.5 in). It is a fish of mild importance in the aquarium industry. Its diet consists of aquatic invertebrates in the wild, but will also eat frozen, live and dried foods such as larva of Chironomidae, Daphnia, and brine shrimp in aquariums.

References

  1. "Sphaerichthys vaillanti – Vaillant's Chocolate Gourami — Seriously Fish" . Retrieved 2023-02-13.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2023). "Sphaerichthys vaillanti". FishBase.

3. https://aquadiction.world/species-spotlight/samurai-gourami/. Retrieved 2023-9-23