Scientific Name
Anabas testudineus

Common Name
Climbing perch

Biology
Dorsal spines (total): 16 - 20; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7-10; Anal spines: 9 - 11; Anal soft rays: 8 - 11. Color in life dark to pale greenish, very pale below, back dusky to olive; head with longitudinal stripes ventrally; posterior margin of opercle with a dark spot; iris golden reddish. Body form variable, affected by age and amount of food consumed. Scaled head with 4-5 rows between eye and rear margin of preoperculum. Scales large and regularly arranged, ciliate.

Classification

Classified By

Bloch, 1792

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Perch-like fish (Perciformes)

Family

Climbing gouramies (Anabantidae)

Distribution

Region

Asia

Distribution

Asia: India to Wallace line including China. May have been distributed in more areas than were commonly reported.

Range

28°N - 10°S

Environment

Climate

Tropical

Water Temperature From

22 °C

Water Temperature To

30 °C

Depth From - meters

0 m

Depth To - meters

Unknown m

Zone

demersal

Environment

Freshwater; brackish; demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - ? m (Ref. 4833)

Trophic Level

2.73 s.e. 0.31 Based on diet studies.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

False

Occurs in Brackish water

True

Occurs in Fresh Water

True

Occurs on Reefs

False

Is kept in Aquariums

True

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

25.0 cm

Common Length

12.5 cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.7500 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: commercial

Vulnerability

Low vulnerability (12 of 100)

Resilience

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Assuming tm=1; K=1.4; Fec=40,000-80,000)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Data deficient (DD)