Details
Trichogaster lalius
The dwarf gourami is a brightly colored small gourami of South Asian freshwaters. It can breathe air with a labyrinth organ and pairs in quiet, weedy shallows.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in ponds, rice fields, ditches, and grassy freshwater of the Indomalayan region. Dense plants and weak flow are typical.
Length 6-9 cm; weight 8 g-20 g. Males are vivid blue with red-orange striping, while females are usually silvery gray. Threadlike pelvic fins help feel the surroundings.
Diurnal, it forms pairs during breeding. The male builds and defends a bubble nest at the surface.
An omnivore, it eats small insects, crustaceans, and algae. It readily takes food near the surface.
The male builds a floating bubble nest and gathers eggs into it after spawning. Fry remain near the surface during early development.
It is listed as Least Concern, though local populations can still be affected by habitat change, collection, or pollution.
