Betta splendens
No common name
Collection Details
Event Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Osphronemidae (Gouramis)
Betta
Betta splendens
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal. Reddish bars on opercle (Ref. 12693).
Distribution
Asia: Mekong basin.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. benthopelagic. Found in: streams, mangroves.
Biology
Occur in standing waters of floodplains, canals, rice paddies (Ref. 12693) and medium to large rivers (Ref. 12975). Feed on zooplankton, mosquito and other insect larvae (Ref. 12693). Air breather and bubble nest builder. Used in behavioral studies (Ref. 4537). Males will fight each other. The many colorful varieties are popular aquarium fish, however, the holding of the males in very small containers should be discouraged (Ref. 1672). Aquarium keeping: sexes should be kept separate unless for mating, and that only one female should be brought into the breeding tank measuring about 20-30 L (http://www.kampffischnet.de).
Max length: 6.5 cm TL; max age: 2 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters); parental care: paternal. Builds bubble-nest which is guarded by male.
IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable (VU), assessed 2011-02-25. Resilience: High (tm<1; multiple annual spawning; Fec to 390).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: highly commercial.
References
Riehl, R. and H.A. Baensch (1991) Aquarien Atlas. Band. 1. Melle: Mergus, Verlag für Natur-und Heimtierkunde, Germany. 992 p.
Rainboth, W.J. (1996) Fishes of the Cambodian Mekong. FAO species identification field guide for fishery purposes. FAO, Rome, 265 p.
Witte, K.-E. and J. Schmidt (1992) Betta brownorum, a new species of anabantoids (Teleostei: Belontiidae) from northwestern Borneo, with a key to the genus. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 2(4):305-330.
Comments On Betta splendens