Betta smaragdina
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''Betta smaragdina'', commonly known as the emerald green betta, blue betta or Mekong fighting fish ( th, ปลากัดเขียว or ปลากัดอีสาน) is a
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
gourami Gouramis, or gouramies , are a group of freshwater anabantiform fishes that comprise the family Osphronemidae. The fish are native to Asia—from the Indian Subcontinent to Southeast Asia and northeasterly towards Korea. The name "gourami", of ...
native to
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
. The species gets its green and blue colors due to refraction and interference of light that results from hexagonal
crystals A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
that are less than 0.5 micrometres. It is found in the aquarium trade.


Description

''Betta smaragdina'' grows to a maximum
total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...
of .


Distribution

''Betta smaragdina'' is native to
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
and Laos, where it occurs in the basins of the
Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annual ...
and Chao Phraya Rivers, being frequently found in the
Mun River The Mun River ( th, แม่น้ำมูล, , ), sometimes spelled ''Moon River'', is a tributary of the Mekong River. It carries approximately of water per year. Geography The river begins in the Khao Yai National Park area of the Sankam ...
and the
Chi River The Chi River (, , ) is the longest river flowing wholly within Thailand. It is long but carries less water than the second longest river, the Mun. The name of the river is "Mae Si" () in the Isan and Lao languages of the region, being translite ...
in the region of
Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan ( Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 prov ...
in Thailand.


Habitat

''Betta smaragdina'' lives in still or sluggish bodies of water, including rice paddies, swamps, roadside ditches, streams and ponds. These bodies of water are usually shaded by vegetation and have a substrate composed of leaf litter, mud, or sand.


Conservation status

''Betta smaragdina'' is listed as data deficient by the IUCN. It is uncommon throughout its range and the population of the species is still decreasing. It is threatened by habitat destruction, pollution, and hybridization with escaped domesticated bettas.


Diet

In the wild, ''Betta smaragdina'' feeds on terrestrial and aquatic
invertebrates Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordat ...
. In captivity, it is typically fed live or frozen food like ''
Daphnia ''Daphnia'' is a genus of small planktonic crustaceans, in length. ''Daphnia'' are members of the order Anomopoda, and are one of the several small aquatic crustaceans commonly called water fleas because their saltatory swimming style resembl ...
'', ''
Artemia ''Artemia'' is a genus of aquatic crustaceans also known as brine shrimp. It is the only genus in the family Artemiidae. The first historical record of the existence of ''Artemia'' dates back to the first half of the 10th century AD from Urmia L ...
'' or bloodworms.


Breeding

Male individuals of ''Betta smaragdina'' will build a bubble nest before breeding. The temperature at which breeding typically occurs is 25.6 to 26.7 °C (78 to 80 °F). Males and females can live together and the male and female should already live together for breeding. When the female is interested in mating, she becomes lighter coloured and develops vertical bars. After mating, the male catches the falling eggs and places them in his
bubble nest Bubble nests, also called foam nests, are created by some fish and frog species as floating masses of bubbles blown with an oral secretion, saliva bubbles, and occasionally aquatic plants. Fish that build and guard bubble nests are known as aph ...
. In 1 to 2 days, the eggs hatch and continue absorb their yolk sack for 3 to 4 days. In 4 to 5 days, the fry become free swimming. Until this point in time, the male cares for them.


In the aquarium

This species is often kept by ''
Betta ''Betta'' is a large genus of small, active, often colorful, freshwater ray-finned fishes, in the gourami family (biology), family (Osphronemidae). The best known ''Betta'' species is ''B. splendens,'' commonly known as the Siamese fighting fi ...
'' hobbyists but is rarely available in the aquarium trade. The "alien"
hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
betta is a hybrid of wild bettas in the ''Betta splendens'' complex, including ''B. smaragdina''.


Genetic diversity

''Betta smaragdina'' sp. guitar is a naturally formed and subspecies and lives only in the Bueng Khong Long,
Bueng Kan province Bueng Kan ( th, บึงกาฬ, , ), also spelled Bung Kan, is the 76th province (''changwat'') of Thailand, established by the Act Establishing Changwat Bueng Kan, BE 2554 (2011) on 23 March 2011. The province, consisting of the districts ...
in
northeast Thailand Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provin ...
(Isan). What makes them differ from the normal ''B. smaragdina'' are their guitar like markings on the dorsal and caudal fin. As of coloring and sizing they are the same, except for the ventrals who tend to be longer.


Gallery

Image:Betta smaragdina male1.jpg, A male


References


External links


The Aquarium Wiki Encyclopaedia on Betta Smaragdina
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1090773 smaragdina Fish of Thailand Taxa named by Werner Ladiges Fish described in 1972