Penang betta
Encyclopedia
The Giant Betta Betta pugnax, is a species of freshwater
spiked rayed fish in the gourami
family
(Osphronemidae) of order
Perciformes
. It is native to and common in swiftly flowing forest
streams of the Malay Peninsula
, Cambodia
, Thailand
, Borneo
, and Sumatra
, having originally been described from a population in Penang
state in Malaysia. In addition to its native range, the species has been introduced to Guam
.<
| genus = Betta | species = pugnax | month = March | year = 2006}}
|title=Betta pugnax
|publisher=International Betta Congress Species Maintenance Program
|url=http://ibc-smp.org/species/pugnax.html
|accessdate=2006-06-30
}}
The Penang betta grows to a maximum length of 12 inches but it's average is 4 in. Preferring clear, soft, acid
ic waters of 24, this betta shelters among submerged roots and leaves in its native streams.
It is one of the mouthbrooding
Betta species.
B. pugnax, as a natural predator of mosquito
larva
e, has found use in mosquito control
journal
|title=An Annotated Bibliography of Papers Relating to the Control of Mosquitoes by the Use of Fish
|author=Gerberich, John B.
|journal=American Midland Naturalist
|volume=36
|issue=1
|year=1946
|pages=87‒131
|doi=10.2307/2421623
|publisher=The University of Notre Dame
|jstor=2421623
}}
Prior to its being eclipsed in Western public recognition by the mass-imported B. splendens (the Siamese fighting fish
), B. pugnax was well known as a fighting fish, attracting the interest of scientists studying animal behaviour at least as long ago as the 1880s.
While today far less popular than the ubiquitous B. splendens, the Penang betta is reputed to be easily kept and bred in hobbyist aquaria
.
Cantor
originally described the Penang betta as Macropodus pugnax, classifying it alongside the paradise fish
(M. opercularis); its specific
epithet, pugnax, is Latin
for "fighting". B. brederi is a junior synonym for this species.
B. pugnax is also known as the forest betta, the Malayan betta, and the Penang mouth-brooding fighting fish.
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
spiked rayed fish in the gourami
Gourami
Gouramis are a family, Osphronemidae, of freshwater perciform fishes. The fish are native to Asia, from Pakistan and India to the Malay Archipelago and north-easterly towards Korea. The name "gourami" is also used for fish of the families Helostomatidae and Anabantidae. "Gouramis" is an example of...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Osphronemidae) of order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Perciformes
Perciformes
The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, is one of the largest orders of vertebrates, containing about 40% of all bony fish. Perciformes means perch-like. They belong to the class of ray-finned fish and comprise over 7,000 species found in almost all aquatic environments...
. It is native to and common in swiftly flowing forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
streams of the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, and Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, having originally been described from a population in Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
state in Malaysia. In addition to its native range, the species has been introduced to Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
.<
| genus = Betta | species = pugnax | month = March | year = 2006}}
|title=Betta pugnax
|publisher=International Betta Congress Species Maintenance Program
|url=http://ibc-smp.org/species/pugnax.html
|accessdate=2006-06-30
}}
The Penang betta grows to a maximum length of 12 inches but it's average is 4 in. Preferring clear, soft, acid
Acid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
ic waters of 24, this betta shelters among submerged roots and leaves in its native streams.
It is one of the mouthbrooding
Mouthbrooder
Mouthbrooding, also known as oral incubation and buccal incubation, is the care given by some groups of animals to their offspring by holding them in the mouth of the parent for extended periods of time. Although mouthbrooding is performed by a variety of different animals, most notably Darwin's...
Betta species.
B. pugnax, as a natural predator of mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e, has found use in mosquito control
Mosquito control
Mosquito control manages the population of mosquitoes to reduce their damage to human health, economies, and enjoyment. Mosquito control is a vital public-health practice throughout the world and especially in the tropics because mosquitoes spread many diseases, such as malaria.Mosquito-control...
journal
|title=An Annotated Bibliography of Papers Relating to the Control of Mosquitoes by the Use of Fish
|author=Gerberich, John B.
|journal=American Midland Naturalist
|volume=36
|issue=1
|year=1946
|pages=87‒131
|doi=10.2307/2421623
|publisher=The University of Notre Dame
|jstor=2421623
}}
Prior to its being eclipsed in Western public recognition by the mass-imported B. splendens (the Siamese fighting fish
Siamese fighting fish
The Siamese fighting fish , also known as the betta , is a popular species of freshwater aquarium fish. The name of the genus is derived from ikan bettah, taken from a local dialect of Malay...
), B. pugnax was well known as a fighting fish, attracting the interest of scientists studying animal behaviour at least as long ago as the 1880s.
While today far less popular than the ubiquitous B. splendens, the Penang betta is reputed to be easily kept and bred in hobbyist aquaria
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
.
Cantor
Theodore Edward Cantor
Theodore Edward Cantor was a Danish physician, zoologist and botanist.Cantor worked for the British East India Company. He made natural history collections in Penang and Malacca...
originally described the Penang betta as Macropodus pugnax, classifying it alongside the paradise fish
Paradise fish
Paradise fish or paradise gouramis are small freshwater labyrinth fish found in ditches and paddy fields in East Asia, ranging from the Korean Peninsula to Northern Vietnam....
(M. opercularis); its specific
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
epithet, pugnax, is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "fighting". B. brederi is a junior synonym for this species.
B. pugnax is also known as the forest betta, the Malayan betta, and the Penang mouth-brooding fighting fish.