Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anabantiformes (Gouramies, snakeheads) >
Anabantidae (Climbing gouramies)
Etymology: Microctenopoma: Greek, mikros = small + Greek, kteis, ktenos = comb + Greek, poma = cover, operculum (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Pellegrin.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical; 24°C - ? (Ref. 13614); 11°S - 28°S
Africa: Okavango, upper and lower Zambezi and Kafue rivers, and St. Lucia basin, KwaZulu-Natal (Ref. 52193). Also in the southern tributaries of the Congo system (Ref. 52193, 120641), including the Kwango, Kwilu, Lulua, upper Lualaba (Ref. 26634) and Luapula-Mweru system (Ref. 361, 42135, 95585).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 6.2 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6803)
Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Occurs in dense marginal vegetation of rivers, lakes, lagoons and channels of swamps and floodplains (Ref. 52193). It feeds on insects and other small organisms (Ref. 52193). Males build a bubble nest on the water surface under which spawning takes place; the eggs float and are stowed in the nest, to be guarded by the male (Ref. 52193). Its shallow water habitat make it susceptible to aerial spraying of insecticides (Ref. 7248).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Gosse, J.-P., 1986. Anabantidae. p. 402-414. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren; and ORSTOM, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 6803)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5002 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00501 (0.00200 - 0.01258), b=3.05 (2.82 - 3.28), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.2 ±0.40 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).