Giant gourami

Giant gourami
Adult
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anabantiformes
Family: Osphronemidae
Genus: Osphronemus
Species:
O. goramy
Binomial name
Osphronemus goramy
Native range in green (widely introduced elsewhere, not shown)
Synonyms
  • Trichopus goramy (Lacépède, 1801)
  • Trichopodus mentum Lacépède, 1801
  • Trichopode mentonnier Lacépède, 1801
  • Trichopus satyrus G. Shaw, 1803
  • Osphromenus satyrus (G. Shaw, 1803)
  • Osphromenus olfax G. Cuvier, 1831
  • Osphromenus notatus G. Cuvier, 1831

The giant gourami (Osphronemus goramy) is a species of large gourami native to freshwater habitats in Southeast Asia.[2] It has also been introduced elsewhere. The species is commercially important as a food fish and is also farmed.[3] It can be found in the aquarium trade, as well.[4] The species has been used for weed control on highly invasive aquatic plants like Salvinia molesta, as the giant gourami can be a voracious herbivore.[5][6]

It is capable of breathing moist air, so can survive out of water for long periods. It is much larger than most gouramis (only the other Osphronemus species reach a similar size), growing to a maximum standard length of 70 cm (28 in), though most are only around 45 cm (18 in).[4]

  1. ^ Low, B.W. (2019). "Osphronemus goramy". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T180720A89805140. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T180720A89805140.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ Alderton, David (2019). Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish. United Kingdom: Dorling Kinderseley Limited. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-2413-6424-6.
  3. ^ "Gourami".
  4. ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Osphronemus goramy". FishBase. February 2014 version.
  5. ^ FAO - Weed control
  6. ^ Dinalankara, Senura; Tharaka Sahan Chandrasiri; Dakshitha Dias; Kokila Hettiarachchi (2018). Vision Based Automated Biomass Estimation of Fronds of Salvinia molesta. University of Moratuwa.