Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anabantiformes (Gouramies, snakeheads) >
Osphronemidae (Gouramies) > Macropodusinae
Etymology: Betta: Malay/Javanese origin. Bleeker (1850, 1858) indicates Ikan Wadder Bettah as the local name of Betta trifasciata Bleeker, 1849 (now Betta picta, Valenciennes, 1846) in the Ambarawa Javanese dialect. Ikan Wader is a common Javanese name for smaller freshwater fishes, especially cyprinids (already used in Old Javanese). See Blust, R. & Trussel, S. Austronesian Comparative Dictionary. Web Edition (https://www.trussel2.com/acd/); mahachaiensis: The specific name is derived from its common Thai name for a subdistrict of Samut
Sakhon Province, viz. Maha Chai.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; pH range: 6.9 - 7.8. Tropical
Asia: Thailand.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 4.4 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 92085)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 0 - 2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 11; Anal spines: 3 - 4; Anal soft rays: 22 - 26. Distinguished from other species in the Betta splendens group by the combination of the following characters: opercle with two parallel iridescent green to bluish-green vertical bars; brown-to-black opercular membrane without red streaks or patches; dorsal, caudal, and anal fin rays brown to black contrasting with iridescent green or bluish-green interradial membranes; dorsal fin with at least its proximal two-thirds having transverse black bars; caudal fin without dark transverse bars, small black rounded marks flanking the internal rays on interradial membranes; pelvic fin brown to black with iridescent green/bluish-green front margin and white tip; an iridescent green to bluish-green appearance on the brown-to-black body background; head length 24.9-31.2% SL; postdorsal length 17.1-25.2% SL; length of dorsal fin base 12.2-19.3% SL; pelvic fin length 21.2-49.6%; pectoral fin length 15.4-21.3% SL; and orbit diameter 22.8-29.7% SL (Ref. 92085).
Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Encountered in nipa palm (Nypa fruticans) swamps, especially in the water-holding phytotelma of the palm bract, which the pair use for bubble-nest building, courtship, and hatching of fry (Ref. 92085).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Kowasupat, C., B. Panijpan, P. Ruenwongsa and N. Sriwattanarothai, 2012. Betta mahachaiensis, a new species of bubble-nesting fighting fish (Teleostei: Osphronemidae) from Samut Sakhon Province, Thailand. Zootaxa 3522:49-60. (Ref. 92085)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00377 - 0.02651), b=2.97 (2.74 - 3.20), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.2 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
