Betta (, ) is a large genus of small, active, often colorful, freshwater ray-finned fishes, in the gourami family (Osphronemidae). The best known Betta species is B. splendens, commonly known as the Siamese fighting fish and often kept as an aquarium pet.
Characteristics All Betta species are small fishes, but they vary considerably in size, ranging from under 2.5 cm (1 in) total length in B. chanoides to 14 cm (5.5 in) in the Akar betta (B. akarensis).
Bettas are anabantoids, which means they can breathe atmospheric air using a unique organ called the labyrinth. This accounts for their ability to thrive in low-oxygen water conditions that would kill most other fish, such as rice paddies, slow-moving streams, drainage ditches, and large puddles.Marcus Song, Caring for Betta Fish Lulu Press, 2006.
The bettas exhibit two kinds of spawning behaviour: some build bubble nests, such as B. splendens, while others are mouthbrooders, such as B. picta. The mouthbrooding species are sometimes called "pseudo bettas", and are sometimes speculated to have evolved from the nest-builders in an adaptation to their fast-moving stream habitats.
A phylogenetic study published in 2004 concluded tentatively that bubble-nesting was the ancestral condition in Betta, and that mouthbrooding has evolved on more than one occasion in the history of the genus. However, it was unable to establish a correlation with any of three habitat variables studied: whether a species was found in lowland or highland streams, whether it was found in peat swamp forests, and whether it was found in water with fast or slow currents. Mouthbrooding species tend to exhibit less sexual dimorphism, perhaps because they do not need to defend a territory as the bubble-nesters do.
Name Siamese fighting fish (B. splendens) are frequently sold in the United States simply as "bettas". , around 73 species are classified within the genus Betta. A useful distinction is that, while the generic name Betta is italicized and capitalized, when used as a common name it is usually neither italicized nor capitalized.The common name of B. pugnax, for example, is thus Penang betta.
The name Betta (or betta) is pronounced ; the first part is the same as the English word bet. The name is often pronounced in American English, and may be spelled with one 't'. The name of the genus is derived from the Malay term ikan betah ("persistent fish").
The vernacular name "plakat", often applied to the short-finned ornamental strains, derived from pla kad which means "fighting fish", is the Thai name for all members of the B. splendens species complex (All have aggressive tendencies in the wild and all are extensively line-bred for aggression in eastern Thailand). The Thai phrase is not restricted to one specific strain. The term "fighting fish" is generalized to all members of the B. splendens species complex, including the Siamese fighting fish.
Diet
Wild Betta fish are hardy and eat almost any animal small enough to consume. This includes worms, larvae of mosquitoes or other insects, and smaller fish. Their natural environment is often resource-limited, so many Betta species are generalist feeders.
Bettas as pets Bettas are commonly kept as pet fish, especially Siamese fighting fish. Bettas are popular fish due to their color variety and ease to care for, although the males must be kept separated from other bettas.
Conservation While many Betta species are common and B. splendens is ubiquitous in the aquarium trade, other bettas are threatened. The IUCN Red List classifies several Betta species as Vulnerable. In addition, B. livida is Endangered, and B. miniopinna, B. persephone, and B. spilotogena are Critically Endangered.
The United Nations Environment Programme lists an unconfirmed species, Betta cf. tomi, as having become extinct in Singapore between 1970 and 1994. This likely refers to the extirpated Singaporean population of B. tomi, which continues to exist in the wild in Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as in captivity; the Red List classifies it as Vulnerable.
Species
There are currently 78 recognized species in this genus. The currently described Betta species can be grouped into species complexes:
B. akarensis complex: Betta akarensis Regan, 1910 (Akar betta) Betta antoni H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2006 Betta aurigans H. H. Tan & K. K. P. Lim, 2004 Betta balunga Herre, 1940 Betta chini P. K. L. Ng, 1993 Betta ibanorum H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2004 Betta nuluhon N. S. S. Kamal, H. H. Tan & Casey K. C. Ng, 2020 Betta obscura H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005 Betta pinguis H. H. Tan & Kottelat, 1998 B. albimarginata complex: Betta albimarginata Kottelat & P. K. L. Ng, 1994 Betta channoides Kottelat & P. K. L. Ng, 1994 B. anabatoides complex: Betta anabatoides Bleeker, 1851 (giant betta) Betta midas H. H. Tan, 2009 B. bellica complex: Betta bellica Sauvage, 1884 (slim betta) Betta simorum H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 1996 B. coccina complex: Betta brownorum K. E. Witte & J. Schmidt, 1992 (brown's betta) Betta burdigala Kottelat & P. K. L. Ng, 1994 Betta coccina Vierke, 1979 Betta hendra I. Schindler & Linke, 2013 Betta iaspis Ding, Lei, Haryono, Shi, & Zhang, 2025 Betta livida P. K. L. Ng & Kottelat, 1992 Betta miniopinna H. H. Tan & S. H. Tan, 1994 Betta mulyadii Ding, Lei, Haryono, Shi, & Zhang, 2025 Betta persephone Schaller, 1986 Betta rutilans K. E. Witte & Kottelat, 1991 Betta tussyae Schaller, 1985 Betta uberis H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2006 B. dimidiata complex: Betta dimidiata T. R. Roberts, 1989 Betta krataios H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2006 B. edithae complex: Betta edithae Vierke, 1984 B. foerschi complex: Betta dennisyongi H. H. Tan, 2013 Betta foerschi Vierke, 1979 Betta mandor H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2006 Betta rubra Perugia, 1893 (Toba betta) Betta strohi Schaller & Kottelat, 1989 B. picta complex: Betta falx H. H. Tan & Kottelat, 1998 Betta picta (Valenciennes, 1846) (spotted betta) Betta simplex Kottelat, 1994 Betta taeniata Regan, 1910 (Borneo betta) B. pugnax complex: Betta apollon I. Schindler & J. Schmidt, 2006 Betta breviobesa H. H. Tan & Kottelat, 1998 Betta cracens H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005 Betta enisae Kottelat, 1995 Betta ferox I. Schindler & J. Schmidt, 2006 Betta fusca Regan, 1910 (dusky betta) Betta kuehnei I. Schindler & J. Schmidt, 2008 Betta lehi H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005 Betta pallida I. Schindler & J. Schmidt, 2004 Betta prima Kottelat, 1994 Betta pugnax (Cantor, 1849) (Penang betta) Betta pulchra H. H. Tan & S. H. Tan, 1996 Betta raja H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005 Betta schalleri Kottelat & P. K. L. Ng, 1994 Betta stigmosa H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005 B. splendens complex (fighting fish): Betta imbellis Ladiges, 1975 (crescent betta) Betta mahachaiensis Kowasupat, Panijpan, Ruenwongsa & Sriwattanarothai, 2012 Betta siamorientalis Kowasupat, Panijpan, Ruenwongsa & Jeenthong, 2012 Betta smaragdina Ladiges, 1972 (Blue betta) Betta splendens Regan, 1910 (Siamese fighting fish) Betta stiktos H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005 B. unimaculata complex: Betta compuncta H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2006 Betta gladiator H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005 Betta ideii H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2006 Betta macrostoma Regan, 1910 (spotfin betta) Betta ocellata de Beaufort, 1933 Betta pallifina H. H. Tan & P. K. L. Ng, 2005 Betta patoti M. C. W. Weber & de Beaufort, 1922 Betta unimaculata (Popta, 1905) (Howong betta) B. waseri complex: Betta andrei H. H. Tan, 2023 Betta chloropharynx Kottelat & P. K. L. Ng, 1994 Betta hipposideros P. K. L. Ng & Kottelat, 1994 Betta omega H. H. Tan & Ahmad, 2018 Betta pardalotos H. H. Tan, 2009 Betta pi H. H. Tan, 1998 Betta renata H. H. Tan, 1998 Betta spilotogena P. K. L. Ng & Kottelat, 1994 Betta tomi P. K. L. Ng & Kottelat, 1994 Betta waseri Krummenacher, 1986
References
External links