Like most badids this species is poorly documented and has yet to find significant popularity in the aquarium hobby. It is easily confused with B. blosyrus at first glance as the body patterning of the two is almost identical but can be distinguished by its slightly larger adult size, noticeably shorter jaw profile and some other, mostly internal, meristic characters.

Prior to 2002 the family Badidae inc…

The genus Betta is the most speciose within the family Osphronemidae with almost 70 recognised members and looks set to grow further with new ones continuing to be described on a regular basis since the turn of the century. Member species have successfully adapted to inhabit a variety of ecological niches from stagnant ditches to flowing hill streams including some extreme environments such as highly acidic peat swamp forests.

B. burdigala is exceptionally rare in the hobby with many fishes traded or pictured as such being B. uberis or other congener. It’s included in the Betta coccina group/complex of closely-related species within the genus. This assemblage mostly comprises small, red-coloured fishes with the exceptions of B. persephone and B. miniopinna which are darkish. Identifying some of the red ones correctly is not always easy as the patterning in them can be both similar and confusingly variable.

The type locality is a stream in a forest swamp with dense growth of Barclaya motleyi at intervals, part of which had been turned over to cultivation of rubber trees in 1997. The water depth varied between 5-80 cm, pH was 5.8 and syntopic species included ‘Puntius‘ banksi, Rasbora einthoveni, Trigonopoma pauciperforatum, Hemirhamphodon pogonognathus, Betta pugnax, Sphaerichthys osphromenoides, Trichogaster trichopterus, Channa gachua and C. lucius.

This species is included in the Betta waseri group/complex of closely-related species within the genus, an assemblage which also includes a handful of potentially new species such as B. sp. ‘Medas’ on an unofficial basis. Group members share the following combination of characters: base body colouration clay yellow; opercle scales iridescent gold in mature males of all species except B. tomi; throat with black markings which join with black lower jaw in some species; no chin bar.

This species is included in the Betta unimaculata complex of closely-related species within the genus, of which members share the following set of characters: body long and slender with depth at dorsal fin origin 18-25 % SL; head large and blunt with width 19-24 % SL; long maxilla and lower lip with distance from tip of lower jaw to posterior end of maxilla 27-54 % HL; caudal-fin rounded in shape, occasionally with elongated median rays; pelvic-fin short and filamentous; dorsal and anal fins relatively pointed.

It can be told apart from other members of the B. pugnax group by the following characters: second postorbital stripe on opercle complete; no transverse bars in caudal-fin; 20-22 predorsal scales; preanal length 50.6-54.8 % SL. Not all authors consider it a member of this group, however, with some placing it in the B. picta complex, e.g., Schindler and Schmidt (2006).

The genus is th…

Known only forest hill streams with flowing, clear water. These are typically shaded from the sun by dense riparian vegetation. The substrate is composed of rocks or gravel, fallen leaves, branches and submerged tree roots, and presumably the fish show a preference for quieter marginal zones as with related congeners.

The type locality was described as a ‘swampy stream’ and sympatric species incl…

Prior to official description this species was traded as B. sp. ‘Laut’. It’s included in the Betta unimaculata complex of closely-related species within the genus, , of which members share the following set of characters: body long and slender with depth at dorsal fin origin 18-25 % SL; head large and blunt with width 19-24 % SL; long maxilla and lower lip with distance from tip of lower jaw to posterior end of maxilla 27-54 % HL; caudal-fin rounded in sha…

It can be told apart from other members of the B. pugnax group by the following characters: chin bar absent; prsence of transverse bars in the dorsal-fin; no transverse bars in caudal-fin; green iridescent scales present on opercle and body; anal fin with iridescent, light blue distal band; a pair black markings below the postorbital stripe on the opercle of females and juveniles; anal-fin rays 25-29 (mode 28); lateral scales 28-30 (mode 29); postdorsal scales 10-11 (mode 12); pelvic-fin length 34.8-50.6% SL; head length 33.4-36.8% SL; inter-orbital width 31.7-37.4% HL.