Nutritional Freshwater Life
198
Trichogaster pectoralis Regan 1910
Order: Perciformes
Family: Osphronemidae
Common name: Snakeskin gourami.
Distribution: Cambodia, Thailand,
southern Vietnam, and Laos; Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore,
Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, and
New Caledonia.
Habitat: Rice paddies, shallow ponds,
and swamps.
Description: It is an elongated, moderately compressed fish with a small dorsal fin. Its anal fin is nearly the length
of the body, and the pelvic fins are long
and thread-like. Back is  olive  in color
and the flanks are greenish gray with
a silver  iridescence. A clear, irregular
black band extends from the  snout,
through the eye, and to the  caudal
peduncle.  Underparts are white. Rear
part of the body may be marked with
faint transverse stripes.  Fins are graygreen. Dorsal fins of male fish are
pointed, and the pelvic fins are orange
to red. The males are slimmer than
the less colorful females. Juveniles have
strikingly strong zigzag lines from
the eye to the base of the tail. This species can grow up to 25 cm.
Trichogaster trichopterus Pallas 1770
Order: Perciformes
Family: Osphronemidae
Common name: Three-spot gourami,
blue gourami.
Distribution: Native to southeastern
Asia; endemic to the Mekong Basin
in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and
Vietnam, and Yunnan in Southeast
Asia.
Habitat: Marshes, swamps, canals, and
lowland wetlands.