The threestripe gourami (''Trichopsis schalleri''), also known as the Mekong croaking gourami, is a species of freshwater

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

from the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Macropodusinae The Macropodusinae are a subfamily of freshwater anabantiform fishes in the gourami family Osphronemidae, which includes the paradisefish, fighting fish and licorice gouramis. Like all members of the family, these are air breathing fishes ...

which is part of the

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 ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Osphronemidae. It is native to south-east Asia.

Description

The threestripe gourami normally shows one or two, almost never three, dark stripes running the length of its body but there it lacks any strip along the base of the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

. The elongated reare anal fin rays do not reach beyond the middle of the

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

which is lanceolate in shape. The

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal co ...

, anal and caudal fin have red margins and are marked with many blue spots. Males are larger than the females and have elongated rays in the

pelvic The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...

, dorsal, anal, and caudal fins. It can attain a length of with the largest males measured at . It is intermediate in size between its congeners, being smaller than the

croaking gourami The croaking gourami (''Trichopsis vittata'') is a species of small freshwater labyrinth fish of the gourami family. They are native to still waters in Southeast Asia and are distributed worldwide via the aquarium trade. Croaking gouramis are ca ...

(''Trichopsis vittata'') and larger than the

pygmy gourami The pygmy gourami (''Trichopsis pumila''), also known as the sparkling gourami, is a freshwater species of gourami native to Southeast Asia. Description Pygmy gouramis can reach a length of SL. In color, they sparkle with red, green, and blu ...

(''T. pumila'').

Distribution

The threestripe gourami is found throughout the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...

basin from Laos, through Thailand and Cambodia, including the Tonle Sap to the

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...

in Vietnam. In Thailand it is also found throughoutin the

Chao Praya The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

river system.

Habitat and biology

The threestripe gourami occurs in still to slow-moving, lowland waters. It can be found in a variety of habitats among which are swamp forest, peat swamps, floodplains, river tributaries, irrigation canals, paddy fields, and roadside ditches. It appears to prefer very slow flowing or still waters where there is a dense growth of aquatic vegetation or thick plant cover along the shores. The breeding male creates a bubblenest among floating plants and when that is complete he will display to the female. When the female is ready to mate she will move to directly beneath the bubblenestand the male will wrap his body around hers. As she

spawns Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquat ...

the male simultaneously fertilises the eggs. The female normally produces about ten eggs per mating and after fertilisation these float up into the bubblenest with any stray eggs being collected by the male and placed in the nest. Spawning may be repeated several times until the female runs out of eggs. After spawning is complete the male guards the nest, the eggs usually hatching after 48 hours. The species in the genus ''Trichopsis'' make audible sounds using a specialised pectoral mechanism which is unique within the gouramis. The structure is made up of modified

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...

s of the

pectoral fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

with muscles which are stretched and plucked by the bottom of the front fin rays of the pectoral fin in like the strings of a

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

. Each pectoral fin can be beaten in turn, and can produce short or long bursts of sound which are produced by both sexes. Sound is mainly produced when the fish are interacting antagonistically or courting. Each species of ''Trichopsis'' has its own patterns of producing sounds. These fishes may be able to settle antagonistic interactions as they can use the sounds produced to assess the condition and fitness of nearby fishes. Females produce a ‘purring’ sounds when initiating spawning, and in this aspect they are unique among fishes.

Species description and etymology

The threestripe gourami was formally described in 1962 by Werner Ladiges. The type locality is given as Nam-Mun at

Korat The Korat cat ( th, โคราช, มาเลศ, สีสวาด, ) is a silver-tipped blue-grey, short-haired breed of domestic cat with a small to medium build and a low percentage of body fat. Its body is semi-cobby, and unusually hea ...

, 135 miles northeast of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

. The species was first discovered and imported to Europe by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

aquarist An aquarist is a person who manages aquariums, either professionally or as a hobby. They typically care for aquatic animals, including fish and marine invertebrates. Some may care for aquatic mammals. Aquarists often work at public aquariums. They ...

Dietrich Schaller, who is honoured in its

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

Human use

The threestripe gourami is uncommon in the aquarium trade and is said to be infrequently available. Live specimens taken from the wild are normally used for breeding to provide fish for the aquarium trade. It is discarded if caught among foodfish.

References

{{taxonbar, from=Q6417401 threestripe gourami Fish of the Mekong Basin Taxa named by Werner Ladiges threestripe gourami