Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anabantiformes (Gouramies, snakeheads) >
Osphronemidae (Gouramies) > Macropodusinae
Etymology: Malpulutta: A word from Sri Lanka; the fish was described by P.E.P. Deriniyagala in Kuriwita; it only lives in a shallow streams in Sri Lanka.
Eponymy: Oswald Leslie De Kretser (d: 1910) was a Sri Lankan lawyer who discovered this species. He became (1940) a Crown Counsel and was active in the Sri Lankan legal system until his retirement (1972). (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal; pH range: 5.5 - 7.5; dH range: ? - 20. Tropical; 24°C - 28°C (Ref. 1672); 8°N - 6°N
Asia: restricted to south western Sri Lanka in Colombo-Galle-Ratnapura triangle. Was first recorded from Hettipola (near Kurunegala).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 4.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6028); common length : 2.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6028)
Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Restricted to forested areas and small, shallow, slow flowing silted streams with leaf debris and thick marginal vegetation. Stays close to the substrate and is very seldom found in unshaded waters. Feeds on fish fry, plankton and insect larvae. Bubble nest builder.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Male builds the bubble nest. Spawns 100 to 200 whitish eggs in batches in the course of a period between 1 to 12 hours. Eggs sink to the bottom and both parents pick them up and place them in the nest, usually built under a submerged leaf, after fertilization. Eggs hatch in 2 days. Male solely guards the eggs and young until they reach free-swimming stage and are independent one week after spawning.
Pethiyagoda, R., 1991. Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka. The Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka, Colombo. 362 p. (Ref. 6028)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 1.0000 [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): 3.5 ±0.45 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).
