The Anabantiformes , collectively known as Labyrinth fish. are an order of air-breathing 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 h ...

with two suborders, five

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

(

Channidae The snakeheads are members of the freshwater perciform fish family Channidae, native to parts of Africa and Asia. These elongated, predatory fish are distinguished by their long dorsal fins, large mouths, and shiny teeth. They breathe air with ...

Aenigmachannidae ''Aenigmachanna'' is a genus of Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish in the Order (biology), order Anabantiformes, Ananbantiformes. It is the only genus in the family Aenigmachannidae, or dragon snakeheads. It contains two species, both of which are ...

, Anabantidae,

Helostomatidae Kissing gouramis, also known as kissing fish or kissers (''Helostoma temminckii''), are medium-sized tropical freshwater fish comprising the monotypic labyrinth fish family Helostomatidae (from the Greek ''elos'' tud, nail ''stoma'' outh. These ...

, and Osphronemidae) and having at least 207 species. In addition, some authorities expand the order to include the suborder Nandoidei, which includes three families - the

Nandidae Nandidae, the leaffish, are a family of small freshwater fishes which some authorities classify in the order Anabantiformes, but which the 5th edition of '' Fishes of the World'' classifies the family and the related Badidae and Pristolepididae ...

, Badidae and Pristolepididae - that appear to be closely related to the Anabantiformes. The order, and these three related families (classified as ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...

'' by the 5th edition of '' Fishes of the World''), are part of a monophyletic clade which is a sister clade to the

Ovalentaria Ovalentaria is a clade of ray-finned fishes within the Percomorpha, referred to as a subseries. It is made up of a group of fish families which are referred to in ''Fishes of the World's'' fifth edition as'' incertae sedis'', as well as the orde ...

, the other orders in the clade being Synbranchiformes,

Carangiformes Carangiformes is an order of the ray-finned fishes. The order is part of a clade which is a sister clade to the Ovalentaria, the other orders in the clade being Synbranchiformes, Anabantiformes, Istiophoriformes and Pleuronectiformes. The Caran ...

Istiophoriformes Istiophoriformes are an order of bony fish which is not fully recognized by some taxonomists, with some including the two extant families Xiphiidae and Istiophoridae, and others including the family Sphyraenidae. Families The following famil ...

and

Pleuronectiformes A flatfish is a member of the ray-finned demersal fish order Pleuronectiformes, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating ...

. This clade is sometimes referred to as the Carangaria but is left unnamed and unranked in ''Fishes of the World''. This group of fish are found in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, with some species introduced in

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. These fish are characterized by the presence of teeth on the parasphenoid. The snakeheads and the anabantoids are united by the presence of the labyrinth organ, which is a highly folded supra branchial accessory

breathing organ The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...

. It is formed by

vascular The blood vessels are the components of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the human body. These vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to the tissues of the body. They also take waste and carbon dioxide away f ...

ized expansion of the epibranchial bone of the first gill arch and used for

respiration Respiration may refer to: Biology * Cellular respiration, the process in which nutrients are converted into useful energy in a cell ** Anaerobic respiration, cellular respiration without oxygen ** Maintenance respiration, the amount of cellul ...

in air.Pinter, H. (1986). Labyrinth Fish. Barron's Educational Series, Inc., Many species are popular as aquarium fish - the most notable are the

Siamese fighting fish The Siamese fighting fish (''Betta splendens''), commonly known as the betta, is a freshwater fish native to Southeast Asia, namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is one of 73 species of the genus '' Bet ...

and several species 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 ...

es. In addition to being aquarium fish, some of the larger anabantiforms (such as the

giant gourami The giant gourami (''Osphronemus goramy'') is a species of large gourami native to freshwater habitats in Southeast Asia. It has also been introduced elsewhere. The species is commercially important as a food fish and is also farmed. It can be fou ...

) are also harvested for food in their native countries.

Taxonomy

There are two suborders and five families currently recognized within the order Anabantiformes: * suborder Anabantoidei

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states * Berg (state), county and duchy of the Hol ...

, 1940 ** family Anabantidae Bonaparte, 1831 *** '' Anabas'' ( Cloquet, 1816) *** ''

Ctenopoma ''Ctenopoma'' is a genus of climbing gouramies native to Africa. ''Microctenopoma'' has been included in ''Ctenopoma'' in the past; in contrast to that genus, ''Ctenopoma'' species are egg scatterers with no parental care. Species The 18 current ...

'' (

Peters Peters may refer to: People * Peters (surname) * Peters Band, a First Nations band in British Columbia, Canada Places United States * Peters, California, a census-designated place * Peters, Florida, a town * Peters Township, Kingman County, Kan ...

, 1844) *** '' Microctenopoma'' ( Norris, 1995) *** ''

Sandelia ''Sandelia'' is a genus of climbing gouramies native to freshwater habitats in South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline ...

'' ( Castelnau, 1861) ** family

Gill A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

, 1872 *** '' Helostoma'' ( Cuvier, 1829) ** family Osphronemidae van der Hoeven, 1832 *** Subfamily Belontiinae (

Liem Many ethnic Chinese people have lived in Indonesia for many centuries. Over time, especially under social and political pressure during the New Order era, most Chinese Indonesians have adopted names that better match the local language. History ...

, 1962) **** ''

Belontia ''Belontia'', sometimes referred to combtail gouramies, is a genus of gouramis, the only genus within the subfamily Belontiinae, native to freshwater habitats in Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංක ...

'' (

Myers Myers as a surname has several possible origins, e.g. Old French ("physician"), Old English ("mayor"), and Old Norse ("marsh"). People * Abram F. Myers (born 1889), chair of the Federal Trade Commission and later general counsel and board ch ...

, 1923) *** Subfamily Osphroneminae (van der Hoeven, 1832) **** ''

Osphronemus ''Osphronemus'' is a genus of large gouramis, the only genus within the subfamily Osphroneminae. These fish are known as the giant gouramis and are native to rivers, lakes, pools, swamps and floodplains in Southeast Asia, with ''O. exodon'' fro ...

'' ( Lacepède, 1801) *** Subfamily Luciocephalinae ( Bleeker, 1852) **** '' Luciocephalus'' (Bleeker, 1851) **** '' Sphaerichthys'' (

Canestrini Giovanni Canestrini (26 December 1835 – 14 February 1900) was an Italian naturalist and biologist and translator who was a native of Revò. Career He initially studied in Gorizia and Meran, then furthered his education in natural sciences at ...

, 1860) **** '' Ctenops'' (

McClelland McClelland is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alyssa McClelland, Australian actress * Charles A. McClelland (1917–2006), American political systems analyst * Charles P. McClelland (1854–1944), New York politician, and US ...

, 1845) **** '' Parasphaerichthys'' (Prashad & Mukerji, 1929) *** Subfamily Macropodusinae ( Hoedeman, 1948) **** ''

Trichogaster ''Trichogaster'' is a genus of gouramis native to South Asia from Pakistan to Myanmar. It is the only genus in the monotypic subfamily Trichogastrinae as set out in the 5th Edition of ''Fishes of the World'', although that book states that there ...

'' ( Bloch & Schneider, 1801) **** '' Trichopodus'' (Lacepède, 1801) **** ''

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 ...

'' (Bleeker, 1850) **** '' Parosphromenus'' (Bleeker, 1877) **** '' Macropodus'' (Lacepède, 1801) **** ''

Malpulutta The ornate paradisefish (''Malpulutta kretseri'') or spotted gourami, is a species of gourami Endemism, endemic to Sri Lanka. It is the only recognized species in its genus. It inhabits shallow, slow-flowing streams in forested areas shaded with ...

'' (

Deraniyagala Deraniyagala is a town in the Kegalle district in the Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. Deraniyaga city area consists major government administrative offices, textile industries and transportation hub and the district hospital which has seve ...

, 1937) **** '' Pseudosphromenus'' (Bleeker, 1879) **** ''

Trichopsis ''Trichopsis'' is a genus of gouramies native to Southeast Asia. Species There are currently three recognized species in this genus: * '' Trichopsis pumila'' ( J. P. Arnold, 1936) (Pygmy gourami) * '' Trichopsis schalleri'' Ladiges, 1962 (Three ...

'' (Canestrini, 1860) * suborder Channoidei Berg, 1940 ** family

Britz ''et al.'', 2020 *** ''

Aenigmachanna ''Aenigmachanna'' is a genus of Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish in the Order (biology), order Anabantiformes, Ananbantiformes. It is the only genus in the family Aenigmachannidae, or dragon snakeheads. It contains two species, both of which are ...

'' (

Britz Britz () is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') within the Berlin borough (''Bezirk'') of Neukölln. History The village of ''Britzig'' was first mentioned in 1273. It was incorporated by the 1920 Greater Berlin Act. It is known for being the site ...

, Anoop, Dahanukar and Raghavan, 2019) ** family

Fowler, 1934 ***''

Parachanna ''Parachanna'' is a genus of snakeheads native to freshwater habitats in tropical Africa. Three recognized extant (living) species are in this genus, but a phylogenetic study from 2017 indicates that a fourth, currently undescribed species also ...

'' ( Teugels & Daget, 1984) ***''

Channa ''Channa'' is a genus of predatory fish in the family Channidae, commonly known as snakeheads, native to freshwater habitats in Asia. This genus contains about 50 scientifically described species. The genus has a wide natural distribution extend ...

'' (

Scopoli Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (sometimes Latinized as Johannes Antonius Scopolius) (3 June 1723 – 8 May 1788) was an Italian physician and naturalist. His biographer Otto Guglia named him the "first anational European" and the "Linnaeus of the Au ...

, 1777)

Alternative systematics

Phylogeny

Below shows the phylogenetic relationships among the Anabantiform families after Collins et al. (2015), here including the Nandoidei as Anabantiforms:

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1744606