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bettaColumbia Encyclopedia entry: betta
Bettabĕt'ə or fighting fish, small, freshwater fish of the genus Betta, found in Thailand and the Malay Peninsula. Best known is the Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens. Mature males of this species are about 2 in. (5 cm) long. In its native waters B. splendens is drab with small fins, but several centuries of breeding have produced multicolored varieties with extremely enlarged decorative fins, highly prized as aquarium fishes. Males of this species are extremely aggressive, and in Thailand they are used in fighting contests lasting as long as six hours, with spectators betting on the outcome. Bettas thrive in shallow, sunlit areas with soft or sandy bottoms. Males secrete a mucous, with which they build bubble nests. After the female of a pair lays her eggs, both members transfer them to the nest, which is then guarded by the male. Several hundred young hatch out in 24 to 30 days. Like its relatives the gourami and the climbing perch, the betta is equipped to breathe air as well as water and must surface from time to time. It is classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Perciformes, family Anabantidae.
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Wikipedia search results for: Betta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Betta is a large genus of small, often colorful, freshwater ray-finned fishes in the gourami family. There are 28 known species of betta. The type species is B. picta, the spotted betta.
By far the best known Betta species, however, is B. splendens, the Siamese fighting fish.
All the Betta species are small fishes, but they vary considerably in size, ranging from under 2.5 cm total length in B. chanoides to five inches in the Akar betta.
Bettas are anabantoids, which means they can breathe atmospheric air thanks to a unique organ called the labyrinth. This accounts for their ability to thrive in...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: betta
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- climbing perch
Climbing perch or walking fish, member of the labyrinth fish family, adapted to living in oxygen-depleted water or on dry land. It is not related to the true perch. Labyrinth fishes are spiny-...
- gourami
Gourami, tropical freshwater fish of the labyrinth fish family. Like other members of their family, gouramis have a labyrinthine breathing apparatus connected to each gill chamber that enables...
