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''Betta'' is a large
The name ''Betta'' (or betta) is pronounced ; the first part is the same as the English word bet. The name is often pronounced in
There are currently 75 recognized species in this genus. The currently described ''Betta'' species can be grouped into
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of small, active, often colorful, freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does incl ...
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 ...
es, in 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 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. Idea ...
(Osphronemidae). The best known ''Betta'' species is ''B. splendens,'' commonly known as 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 often kept as an aquarium pet.
Characteristics
All ''Betta'' species are small fishes, but they vary considerably in size, ranging from under 2.5 cm (1 in) total length in ''B. chanoides'' to 14 cm (5.5 in) in the Akar betta (''B. akarensis''). Bettas are anabantoids, which means they can breathe atmospheric air using a unique organ called thelabyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by ...
. This accounts for their ability to thrive in low-oxygen water conditions that would kill most other fish, such as rice paddies, slow-moving streams, drainage ditches, and large puddles.
The bettas exhibit two kinds of spawning behaviour: some build 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 ...
s, such as ''B. splendens'', while others are 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 va ...
s, such as ''B. picta''. The mouthbrooding species are sometimes called "pseudo bettas", and are sometimes speculated to have evolved
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variati ...
from the nest-builders in an adaptation
In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...
to their fast-moving stream habitats.
A phylogenetic study published in 2004 concluded tentatively that bubble-nesting was the ancestral condition in ''Betta'', and that mouthbrooding has evolved on more than one occasion in the history of the genus. However it was unable to establish a correlation with any of three habitat variables studied: whether a species was found in lowland or highland streams, whether it was found in peat swamp forests, and whether it was found in water with fast or slow currents. Mouthbrooding species tend to exhibit less sexual dimorphism, perhaps because they do not need to defend a territory as the bubble-nesters do.
Name
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 ...
(''B. splendens'') are frequently sold in the United States
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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
simply as "bettas". In fact, , around 73 species are classified within the genus ''Betta''. A useful distinction is that while the generic
Generic or generics may refer to:
In business
* Generic term, a common name used for a range or class of similar things not protected by trademark
* Generic brand, a brand for a product that does not have an associated brand or trademark, other ...
name ''Betta'' is italicized and capitalized, when used as a common name it is usually neither italicized nor capitalized.
The common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
of ''B. pugnax,'' for example, is thus Penang betta
The Penang betta (''Betta pugnax'') is a species of gourami native to Southeast Asia and common in swiftly flowing forest streams of the Malay Peninsula, Thailand, Sumatra, and the Riau Islands. In addition to its native range, the species has be ...
.
The name ''Betta'' (or betta) is pronounced ; the first part is the same as the English word bet. The name is often pronounced in American English
American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and in most circumstances ...
, and may be spelled with one 't'. The name of the genus is derived from the Malay word ''ikan betah'' ("persistent fish").
The vernacular name "plakat", often applied to the short-finned ornamental strains, derived from ''pla kad'' which means "fighting fish", is the Thai name for all members of the ''B. splendens'' species complex (All have aggressive tendencies in the wild and all are extensively line-bred for aggression in eastern 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 ...
). The Thai phrase is not restricted to one specific strain. The term "fighting fish" is generalized to all members of the ''B. splendens'' species complex, including the Siamese fighting fish.
Diet
Wild ''Betta'' fish are hardy and eat almost any animal small enough for these small fish to consume, including worms, larvae of mosquitoes or other insects, and smaller fish. Their natural environment is often resource-limited, so many ''Betta'' species are generalist feeders.Bettas as pets
Bettas are commonly kept as pet fish, especially Siamese fighting fish. Bettas are popular fish due to their color variety and ease to care for, although they must be kept separated from other bettas.Conservation
While many ''Betta'' species are common and ''B. splendens'' is ubiquitous in the aquarium trade, other bettas are threatened. TheIUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biolo ...
classifies several ''Betta'' species as Vulnerable. In addition, '' B. livida'' is Endangered, and '' B. miniopinna,'' '' B. persephone,'' and '' B. spilotogena'' are Critically Endangered.
The United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...
lists an unconfirmed species, ''Betta'' cf. ''tomi,'' as having become extinct
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
in Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
between 1970 and 1994.
This likely refers to the extirpated
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, refers to a species (or other taxon) of plant or animal that ceases to exist in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinct ...
Singaporean population of '' B. tomi,'' which continues to exist in the wild in Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
and Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
, as well as in captivity; the Red List classifies it as Vulnerable.
Species
There are currently 75 recognized species in this genus. The currently described ''Betta'' species can be grouped into species complex
In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...
es:
* ''B. akarensis'' complex:
** '' Betta akarensis'' Regan
The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...
, 1910 (Akar betta)
** '' Betta antoni'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2006
** '' Betta aurigans'' H. H. Tan & K. K. P. Lim, 2004
** '' Betta balunga'' Herre, 1940
** '' Betta chini'' P. K. L. Ng, 1993
** '' Betta ibanorum'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2004
** '' Betta nuluhon'' N. S. S. Kamal, H. H. Tan & Casey K. C. Ng, 2020
** '' Betta obscura'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005
** '' Betta pinguis'' H. H. Tan & , 1998
* ''B. albimarginata'' complex:
** ''Betta albimarginata
''Betta albimarginata'' is a species of betta fish, endemic to the island of Borneo where it is only found in the Indonesian province of Kalimantan Timur. It inhabits the shallows () of forest streams amongst vegetation and debris along the sho ...
'' & P. K. L. Ng, 1994
** '' Betta channoides'' & P. K. L. Ng, 1994
* ''B. anabatoides'' complex:
** '' Betta anabatoides'' Bleeker, 1851 (giant betta)
** '' Betta midas'' H. H. Tan, 2009
* ''B. bellica'' complex:
** '' Betta bellica'' Sauvage, 1884 (slim betta)
** '' Betta simorum'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 1996
* ''B. coccina'' complex:
** '' Betta brownorum'' K. E. Witte & J. Schmidt, 1992
** '' Betta burdigala'' & P. K. L. Ng, 1994
** '' Betta coccina'' Vierke, 1979
** '' Betta hendra'' I. Schindler & Linke, 2013
** ''Betta livida
''Betta livida'' is a species of gourami endemic to Malaysia, where it is only known from the state of Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is ...
'' P. K. L. Ng & , 1992
** ''Betta miniopinna
''Betta miniopinna'' is a species of gourami endemic to Bintan Island in the Riau Archipelago of Indonesia.
Etymology
The binomial ''Betta miniopinna'' is derived from the vernacular Malay term ''ikan betah'', which refers to the broad catego ...
'' H. H. Tan & S. H. Tan, 1994
** ''Betta persephone
''Betta persephone'' is a species of labyrinth fish endemic to Malaysia where it is only known from Johor. This betta's specific epithet derives from the Greek goddess Persephone, queen of the Underworld, a reference to the largely blackish col ...
'' Schaller, 1986
** '' Betta rutilans'' K. E. Witte & , 1991
** '' Betta tussyae'' Schaller, 1985
** '' Betta uberis'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2006
* ''B. dimidiata'' complex:
** '' Betta dimidiata'' T. R. Roberts, 1989
** '' Betta krataios'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2006
* ''B. edithae'' complex:
** '' Betta edithae'' Vierke, 1984
* ''B. foerschi'' complex:
** '' Betta dennisyongi'' H. H. Tan, 2013
** '' Betta foerschi'' Vierke, 1979
** '' Betta mandor'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2006
** '' Betta rubra'' Perugia
Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia.
The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part ...
, 1893 (Toba betta)
** '' Betta strohi'' Schaller & , 1989
* ''B. picta'' complex:
** '' Betta falx'' H. H. Tan & , 1998
** '' Betta picta'' (Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...
, 1846) (spotted betta)
** '' Betta simplex'' , 1994
** ''Betta taeniata
''Betta taeniata'' is a species of gourami endemic to the Southeast Asian island of Borneo, where it lives in inland waters.
Description
''Betta taeniata'' is known to display paternal mouthbrooding. Males of the species have more vibrant colo ...
'' Regan
The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...
, 1910 (Borneo betta)
* ''B. pugnax'' complex:
** '' Betta apollon'' I. Schindler & J. Schmidt, 2006
** '' Betta breviobesus'' H. H. Tan & , 1998
** '' Betta cracens'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005
** '' Betta enisae'' , 1995
** '' Betta ferox'' I. Schindler & J. Schmidt, 2006
** '' Betta fusca'' Regan
The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...
, 1910 (dusky betta)
** '' Betta kuehnei'' I. Schindler & J. Schmidt, 2008
** '' Betta lehi'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005
** '' Betta pallida'' I. Schindler & J. Schmidt, 2004
** '' Betta prima'' , 1994
** '' Betta pugnax'' (Cantor
A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds.
In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...
, 1849) (Penang betta)
** '' Betta pulchra'' H. H. Tan & S. H. Tan, 1996
** '' Betta raja'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005
** '' Betta schalleri'' & P. K. L. Ng, 1994
** '' Betta stigmosa'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005
* ''B. splendens'' complex (fighting fish):
** ''Betta imbellis
The peaceful betta or crescent betta (''Betta imbellis'') is a species of gourami native to Southeast Asia.
''Betta imbellis'' has a pair of suprabranchial chambers that each house a labyrinth organ, a complex bony structure lined with thin, high ...
'' Ladiges, 1975 (crescent betta)
** ''Betta mahachaiensis
''Betta mahachaiensis'' is a species of Bubble nest, bubble-nesting betta native to Thailand, where it occurs naturally near the Gulf of Thailand. It is typically seen in stagnant waters in swamps, pools, and ponds. The species can be found in br ...
'' Kowasupat, Panijpan, Ruenwongsa & Sriwattanarothai, 2012
** '' Betta siamorientalis'' Kowasupat, Panijpan, Ruenwongsa & Jeenthong, 2012
** ''Betta smaragdina
''Betta smaragdina'', commonly known as the emerald green betta, blue betta or Mekong fighting fish ( th, ปลากัดเขียว or ปลากัดอีสาน) is a species of gourami native to Southeast Asia. The species gets ...
'' Ladiges, 1972 (Blue betta)
** '' Betta splendens'' Regan
The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...
, 1910 (Siamese fighting fish)
** '' Betta stiktos'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005
* ''B. unimaculata'' complex:
** '' Betta compuncta'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2006
** '' Betta gladiator'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005
** '' Betta ideii'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2006
** '' Betta macrostoma'' Regan
The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...
, 1910 (spotfin betta)
** '' Betta ocellata'' de Beaufort, 1933
** '' Betta pallifina'' H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005
** '' Betta patoti'' M. C. W. Weber & de Beaufort, 1922
** '' Betta unimaculata'' ( Popta, 1905) (Howong betta)
* ''B. waseri'' complex:
** '' Betta chloropharynx'' & P. K. L. Ng, 1994
** '' Betta hipposideros'' P. K. L. Ng & , 1994
** '' Betta omega'' H. H. Tan & Ahmad
Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet.
Etymology
The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...
, 2018
** '' Betta pardalotos'' H. H. Tan, 2009
** '' Betta pi'' H. H. Tan, 1998
** '' Betta renata'' H. H. Tan, 1998
** ''Betta spilotogena
''Betta spilotogena'' is a species of gourami endemic to Indonesia where it is only known from the islands of Bintan and Singkep
Singkep is an island in the Lingga Archipelago in Indonesia. Its area is . It is separated from the east coast of ...
'' P. K. L. Ng & , 1994
** '' Betta tomi'' P. K. L. Ng & , 1994
** '' Betta waseri'' Krummenacher, 1986
References
External links
* * The Aquarium Wiki category on Betta care information for sub varieties {{Authority control Macropodusinae Fauna of Southeast Asia Fish of Thailand Freshwater fish genera Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker