Penang betta
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| iPenang betta | ||||||||||||||
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| Betta pugnax (Cantor, 1849) |
The Penang betta, Betta pugnax, is a species of freshwater ray-finned 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.<ref name="fishbase">"Betta pugnax". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. March 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006. </ref> <ref name="ibc">Betta pugnax. International Betta Congress Species Maintenance Program. Retrieved on 2006-06-30.</ref>
The Penang betta grows to a maximum length of 12 cm (4.7 in). Drab in appearance with typical Betta shape, some individuals have dark and light longitudinal stripes on their flanks.<ref name="fishbase" /> <ref name="ibc" />
Preferring clear, soft, acidic waters of 24‒28 °C (75‒82 °F), this betta shelters under overhanging shore vegetation and among submerged roots and leaves in its native streams. It is one of the mouthbrooding Betta species.<ref name="fishbase" /> <ref name="ibc" />
B. pugnax, as a natural predator of mosquito larvae, has found use in mosquito control efforts.<ref name="gerberich">Gerberich, John B. (1946). "An Annotated Bibliography of Papers Relating to the Control of Mosquitoes by the Use of Fish". American Midland Naturalist 36 (1): 87‒131.</ref> 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.<ref name="mind">Allen, Grant (1881). "Sight and Smell in Vertebrates". Mind 6 (24): 453‒71.</ref> While today far less popular than the ubiquitous B. splendens, the Penang betta is reputed to be easily kept and bred in hobbyist aquaria.<ref name="mouthbrooder">Panitvong, Nonn (2002). Mouth Brooder Betta of Thailand. International Betta Congress Species Maintenance Program. Retrieved on 2006-06-30.</ref>
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.<ref name="fishbase" /> <ref name="itis">Betta pugnax (TSN 172616). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 18 April 2006.</ref>
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