635:, and other parts of the world for just this reason. Kissing gouramis need a roomy tank to thrive; they grow rapidly, and juvenile fish will quickly outgrow smaller aquaria. Kissing gouramis are territorial; some are tolerant towards fish of similar size, but others will bully, chase, and torment, causing significant stress on tank mates. Male kissers will occasionally challenge each other; however, the "kissing" itself is never fatal, but the constant bullying can stress the other fish to death. They often do in fact kill other fish by sucking the
40:
578:
gourami does not care for its young. Adults migrate through the rivers to shallow lagoons or into flooded forests to spawn. A female starts mating and the male simultaneously shed the eggs and sperm to the outside. Females release an average of 1000 eggs. The eggs are spherical and small compared to other freshwater species and have a drop of oil to increase buoyancy. Fertilized eggs float to the surface and usually bind to floating vegetation, becoming larvae. Biting fish reach sexual maturity of three to five years.
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fish, whose nutrition is based on a wide variety of food sources, such as insects, algae, larvae from other species and other microorganisms found on submerged species. The mouth, teeth, gills and especially the intramandibular joint described above make this fish a very well adapted species: it is
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scatterers; spawning is initiated by the female and takes place under cover of floating vegetation. The eggs, which the adults do not guard, are spherical, smooth, and buoyant. Initial development is rapid: the eggs hatch after one day, and the fry are free-swimming two days thereafter. The kissing
549:
are able to communicate between each other due to their complex inner ear: it has a suprabranchial air-breathing chamber which gives these fishes the capacity to modulate their hearing through air bubbles in this area. Kissing gouramis are also able to emit sounds to other individuals of their own
443:
It is important to emphasize the particularity that this species has in its mouth: it has an additional joint between its jaw and the rest of the joints, known as intramandibular joint. This type of joint is also present in other species of fish that feed on nutrients attached to the substrate. By
643:
to control algae growth. To prevent digging and to present enough surface area for algae growth, the substrate should consist of large-diameter gravel and stones. The aquarium's back glass should not be cleaned during regular maintenance, as the gouramis will feed on the algae grown there. Most
422:
Two colour morphs are encountered: greenish-silvery, which have lengthwise spotty stripes on the body and opaque, dark brown fins; and pink, which have a rose to orangy pink body and silvery scales, with transparent pinkish fins. While it has been claimed that the greenish fish originate from
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the common name of kissing gourami. This has been considered an intraspecific aggressive behavior also known as "mouth fight" due to the contraction of the jaw muscles. However, it is not completely confirmed that it is an aggressive behavior and is rather understood as a ritualized form of
675:
between 6.8 and 8.5; the temperature should be between 22 and 28 °C (72 and 82 °F). When breeding kissing gouramis, soft water is preferred. As the fish do not build nests, lettuce leaves placed on the water surface serve as a spawning medium. The lettuce will eventually host
684:
upon which the fish will feed. The maximum length for kissing gouramis in aquariums is between 30 and 40 cm (12 and 15.5 in). Kissing
Gourami are also a very long lived fish, a long term commitment for the fish keeper. They have been known to live in excess of 25 years (*).
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The intramandibular joint divides the jaw into two independent elements so that it increases the degrees of freedom and the potential number of ways of getting food. This articulation, although its mechanism and anatomy are still being studied, results in an adaptation of
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The kissing gourami present a kind of behavior associated with their characteristic jaw and mouth: two individuals approach their mouths in both mediolateral and dorsoventral planes and press for a few seconds. This type of "kiss" has given
352:(13–15 spinous rays, 17–19 soft) mirror each other in length and frame the body. The posterior most soft rays of each of these fins are slightly elongated to create a trailing margin. The foremost rays of the jugular
495:. The fish use their toothed lips to rasp algae from stones and other surfaces. This rasping action, which (to humans) looks superficially like kissing, is also used by males to challenge the dominancy of conspecifics.
619:" behavior of other fish, plants, and other objects. Kissers of both sexes will often spar by meeting mouths and pushing each other through the water. Large quantities of these fish are exported to
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are able to survive under kissing gourami skin and look like color spots. Some hypothesis affirm that these algae communities receive some nutrients required for photosynthesis from the
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The most distinctive feature of the kissing gourami is its mouth. Other than being terminal (forward-facing) rather than superior (upward-facing) as in other
1363:
1412:
1466:
1163:
Christensen, Mikkel S. (1992). "Investigations on the
Ecology and Fish Fauna of the Mahakam River in East Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia".
952:
Ferry, Lara A.; Konow, Nicolai; Gibb, Alice C. (2012). "Are
Kissing Gourami Specialized for Substrate-Feeding? Prey Capture Kinematics of
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The individuals which have these parasites in their bodies are commonly less healthy than those which have not any algae parasites.
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In captivity and in the wild the average lifespan is 5 to 7 years, but it is known that kissing gourami can live much longer.
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strain of the pink gourami that are offered to hobbyists. The "balloons" are named so for their smaller and rounder bodies.
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Ladich, F.; Yan, H. Y. (1998-05-25). "Correlation between auditory sensitivity and vocalization in anabantoid fishes".
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families, the kissing gourami's mouth is highly protrusible as its family name suggests, the lips are lined with horny
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is divided in two, with the posterior portion starting below the end of the other; there are a total of 43–48
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occurs from May to
October in Thailand, at the beginning of the rainy season. Kissing gouramis are open-water
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1026:
Nigrelli, Ross F.; McLaughlin, J. J. A.; Jakowska, Sophie (1958-12-22). "Histozoic Algal Growth in Fish".
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increasing the angle of opening of the jaw, this joint allows kissing gourami access to these nutrients.
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A "balloon" morph kissing gourami. The body length is shortened compared to a natural kissing gourami.
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and need both plant and animal matter in their diets. The fish will accept vegetables such as cooked
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off their skin as food, which opens the victim fish up to infections. These fish may be useful as
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able to find nutrients in places where other species cannot be such as algal-covered surfaces.
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http://www.oscarfish.com/fish/81-all-about-fish/166-kissing-gourami-helostoma-temminckii.html
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In the aquarium, breeders have also produced a "dwarf" or "balloon pink" variety, which is a
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Shallow, slow-moving, and thickly vegetated backwaters are the kissing gourami's natural
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Typical of gourami, the body is deep and strongly compressed laterally. The long-based
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Moyle, Peter B.; Pethiyagoda, Rohan (1991-12-13). "Freshwater Fishes of Sri Lanka".
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Journal of
Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological Genetics and Physiology
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are also well-developed and numerous. The visible scales of the body are
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plants will not survive the fish's grazing, so inedible plants such as
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1199:, Vol. 1. (6th ed.), p. 652. Microcosm Ltd.; Shelburne, Vermont.
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Internationale Revue der
Gesamten Hydrobiologie und Hydrographie
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and is difficult to almost impossible to distinguish the sexes.
411:. Kissing gourami reach a maximum of 30 cm (12 in) in
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can become the host to some parasitic algal species. These
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Red: extant, Light red: possibly extant, Green: introduced
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732:
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427:, the greenish is the wild form and the pinkish is a
297:outside their native range. They are regarded as a
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321:. The kissing gourami is a popular aquarium fish.
1458:
1119:
758:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T181326A156937361.en
407:, whereas the scales of the top of the head are
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293:and nearby smaller islands, but have also been
1209:Kissing Gourami (Helostoma temminckii), Kmuda
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1195:Baensch, Hans A., and Riehl, Rudiger. (1997)
550:species through the movement of their teeth.
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514:Video of two kissers in an aquarium kissing.
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423:Thailand and pinkish fish originate from
956:temminckiiand Other Anabantoid Fishes".
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611:Kissing gouramis are also popular with
360:are large, rounded, and low-slung. The
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487:taken from the surface. They are also
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1226:
772:
733:Ahmad, A.B.; Vidthayanon, C. (2020).
652:, or plastic plants are recommended.
383:. However, teeth are absent from the
1003:"Helostoma temminkii (Green kisser)"
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1467:IUCN Red List least concern species
1071:Journal of Comparative Physiology A
744:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
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356:are also slightly elongated. The
565:and dioecious and have external
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1219:. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
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1217:The Aquarium Fish Encyclopedia
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324:
1:
715:
285:). These fish originate from
257:), are medium-sized tropical
1497:Taxa named by Georges Cuvier
348:rays, 13–16 soft) and
7:
703:
695:
667:should be between 5 and 30
663:and any kind of live food.
372:running the line's length.
364:is rounded to concave. The
10:
1513:
586:The kissing gourami is an
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305:. They are used fresh for
16:Species of freshwater fish
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615:for the fish's peculiar "
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89:Scientific classification
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56:
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37:
28:
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1177:10.1002/iroh.19920770405
834:; Pauly, Daniel (eds.).
799:; Pauly, Daniel (eds.).
472:that primarily graze on
909:. T.F.H. Publications.
801:"Family Helostomatidae"
751:: e.T181326A156937361.
499:Intraspecific behaviour
301:and they are sometimes
287:Mainland Southeast Asia
1492:Fish described in 1829
1482:Fish of Southeast Asia
1197:Baensch Aquarium Atlas
907:Exotic Tropical Fishes
868:Aquarium Owner's Guide
864:Sanford, Gina (1999).
608:
515:
431:form achieved through
415:. There is no outward
337:
1083:10.1007/s003590050218
710:List of fish families
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513:
332:
1237:Helostoma temminckii
1007:Animal Diversity Web
838:Helostoma temminckii
737:Helostoma temminckii
468:. They are midwater
255:Helostoma temminckii
212:Helostoma temminckii
1267:Helostoma temminkii
970:2012JEZA..317..571F
936:Helostoma teminckii
903:Axelrod, Herbert R.
848:. May 2007 version.
809:. May 2007 version.
559:Helostoma temminkii
533:Helostoma temminkii
460:Habitat and ecology
334:Helostoma temminkii
59:Conservation status
47:Natural form above,
609:
516:
433:selective breeding
338:
194:H. temminckii
1454:
1453:
1426:Open Tree of Life
1229:Taxon identifiers
1215:Sterba, G. 1983.
916:978-0-87666-543-5
883:978-0-7894-4614-5
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456:and its feeding.
417:sexual dimorphism
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243:Kissing gouramis
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24:Kissing gourami
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1171:(4): 593–608.
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481:aquatic plants
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272:Helostomatidae
266:labyrinth fish
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762:. Retrieved
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641:algae eaters
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590:microphagic
585:
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554:Reproduction
547:H. temminkii
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524:aggression.
521:H. temminkii
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454:H. temminkii
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446:H. temminkii
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413:total length
374:
366:lateral line
339:
333:
282:
278:
271:
254:
250:
247:kissing fish
246:
242:
241:
211:
209:
193:
192:
173:
172:
155:
18:
1351:iNaturalist
1261:Wikispecies
1128:(4): 1166.
764:19 November
401:gill rakers
354:pelvic fins
325:Description
52:form below
1461:Categories
1034:(4): 331.
1012:2018-12-02
716:References
657:omnivorous
588:omnivorous
385:premaxilla
362:caudal fin
319:pan frying
295:introduced
274:(from the
161:T. N. Gill
1185:0020-9309
1142:0045-8511
1091:0340-7594
1048:0045-8511
954:Helostoma
682:infusoria
650:Java moss
646:Java fern
633:Australia
613:aquarists
592:filtering
563:oviparous
470:omnivores
429:leucistic
389:dentaries
350:anal fins
299:food fish
263:monotypic
219:G. Cuvier
188:Species:
180:G. Cuvier
174:Helostoma
112:Kingdom:
106:Eukaryota
50:Leucistic
1369:10575216
1325:FishBase
1288:BioLib:
1246:Wikidata
1107:22185282
986:22952136
905:(1996).
845:FishBase
806:FishBase
704:See also
696:Lifespan
678:bacteria
571:Spawning
493:plankton
393:palatine
315:broiling
307:steaming
152:Family:
126:Chordata
122:Phylum:
116:Animalia
102:Domain:
79:IUCN 3.1
1444:1022674
1343:2392010
1252:Q218891
1150:1446131
1099:9631554
1056:1439971
966:Bibcode
690:mutated
661:lettuce
617:kissing
582:Feeding
485:insects
483:, with
474:benthic
466:habitat
409:cycloid
405:ctenoid
397:pharynx
377:gourami
346:spinous
251:kissers
169:Genus:
142:Order:
132:Class:
77: (
1431:754856
1418:243708
1395:181326
1382:638746
1356:187493
1317:343742
1304:170219
1203:
1183:
1148:
1140:
1122:Copeia
1105:
1097:
1089:
1054:
1046:
1028:Copeia
984:
913:
880:
625:Europe
399:. The
395:, and
370:scales
342:dorsal
317:, and
311:baking
303:farmed
289:, the
269:family
221:, 1829
182:, 1829
163:, 1872
1439:WoRMS
1402:NAS:
1364:IRMNG
1291:43457
1146:JSTOR
1103:S2CID
1052:JSTOR
637:mucus
621:Japan
537:algae
477:algae
381:teeth
283:stoma
276:Greek
1413:NCBI
1390:IUCN
1377:ITIS
1338:GBIF
1299:BOLD
1201:ISBN
1181:ISSN
1138:ISSN
1126:1991
1095:PMID
1087:ISSN
1044:ISSN
1032:1958
982:PMID
942:>
911:ISBN
878:ISBN
766:2021
749:2020
680:and
671:and
561:are
479:and
425:Java
279:elos
1405:725
1330:500
1312:EoL
1276:ADW
1173:doi
1130:doi
1079:doi
1075:182
1036:doi
974:doi
962:317
753:doi
669:dGH
575:egg
249:or
1463::
1441::
1428::
1415::
1392::
1379::
1366::
1353::
1340::
1327::
1314::
1301::
1278::
1263::
1248::
1179:.
1169:77
1167:.
1144:.
1136:.
1124:.
1101:.
1093:.
1085:.
1073:.
1050:.
1042:.
1030:.
1005:.
994:^
980:.
972:.
960:.
925:^
892:^
876:.
854:^
842:.
815:^
803:.
774:^
747:.
741:.
723:^
673:pH
648:,
631:,
627:,
623:,
569:.
391:,
387:,
313:,
309:,
281:,
1187:.
1175::
1152:.
1132::
1109:.
1081::
1058:.
1038::
1015:.
988:.
976::
968::
938:"
934:"
919:.
886:.
840:"
836:"
768:.
755::
739:"
735:"
253:(
81:)
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