This species is also referred to by the alternative vernacular name of 'noble gourami' and is currently the only recognised member of the genus Ctenops. It is usually regarded as being very difficult to keep whereas in reality it is quite adaptable once acclimatised but appears to react poorly to the export and shipping process meaning it is often seen on sale in poor condition and susceptible to or already infested with secondary health issues such as Oödinium, to which it appear…

The genus Sphaerichthys currently comprises four species with S. osphromenoides by far the best known in the hobby. It’s easily distinguishable from the congeners S. vaillanti and S. acrostoma since both exhibit a notably more elongate head and body profile, reverse sexual dimorphism (i.e. females are the more colourful/strongly-patterened), and are paternal mouthbrooders.

This species is only occasionally seen in the hobby and sometimes sold as 'cherry chocolate gourami'. It was originally described as a subspecies of S. osphromenoides since the two are very similar-looking but has been considered a species in its own right since the late 1980s.

The two differ in the number ofrays (7 in S. selatanensis vs. 9-10 in S. osphromenoides),rays (7 vs. 8),…

This species is readily available in the aquarium trade and is a good subject for those new to the hobby given its peaceable nature and relative adaptability in terms of water chemistry. It’s sold under various names including

A number of selectively-bred ornamental strains have also been produced including ‘red’, ‘sunset’, and ‘golden’, for which care is identical to the natural form.

To date the species is known mostly from the upper Ayeyarwady River basin in northern Myanmar where it’s been collected close to the city of Myitkyina in Kachin State as well as around nearby Lake Indawgyi, the largest inland lake in Southeast Asia and home to ten globally threatened bird species.

The lake and surrounding area were designated a protected zone by the Ministry of Ecotourism in 1999 and now form the Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanc…

It can be distinguished from congeners by its small adult size and presence of a single solid dark midlateral stripe on the body, above which is a series of dark blotches forming a second stripe. In the similar but larger, T. schalleri the upper stripe is more variable depending on the mood of the fish, sometimes fading entirely.

The common name is derived from the ability of genus members to produce audible sounds via a specialised pectoral mechanism which is unique within the family Osphronemidae. The structure comprises modified pectoral-fin tendons and muscles which are stretched and plucked by basal elevations of two fin rays in a similar way to guitar strings via rapid beating of the fins. The pectoral-fins beat alternately, each able to generate short or long bursts of sound. These sounds are produced by both sexes, predom…

This species is also referred to as ‘Kretser’s paradisefish’ and ‘spotted gourami’.

There exist three colour forms, two of which exhibit a greater degree of reddish or violet pigmentation in the fins, respectively. The third is more bluish and was described as M. kretseri minor by Deraniyagala (1958).

Engmann (1909) mentions that the type series was collected from ‘Malakka’ but this is considered an error which probably should have read ‘Kerala’ since this species is known only from coastal drainages of the Western Ghats mountains in southern Kerala state, India.

P. deissneri was the only recognised member of the genus for almost a century following its description in 1859.

As a result its name has and continues to be widely misapplied in both aquarium and ichthyological literature although it’s probably always been very rare in the hobby, while a number of fishes previously identified under the name from other pa…