|
|
|
LABYRINTH FISH
LABYRINTH FISH
Labyrinth fish belong to the sub-order Anabantoidei which include (debated) five families;
Anabantidae
,
Belontiidae
,
Helostomatidae
, Luciocephalidae (controversially), and
Osphronemidae
. Labyrinth fish inhabit Africa, Asia,India, and Southeast Asia.
Their name is derived from the Labyrinth Organ that all the fish in the sub-order possess. This organ enables this fish to breathe in oxygen-deprived waters. This organ is located just above the gills andconsists of folded skin tissues that are lined with numerous blood vessels. This accessory respiratory organ allows Labyrinth fish to breathe air from the surface of the water. Due to this advanced organ, some species such as
Anabas testudineus
are able to leave the water for extended periods in humid climates. This species moves about on land by using its pectoral fins.
SIZE
:The fish of this family are generally small to medium-sized.
HAB
: Generally stagnant waters where little oxygen is present. Four families are from Asia, India,and Southeast Asia, while one family inhabits Africa.
S
: Depends on the species
TANK
: Since the sub-order of Labyrinth fish contains such a diverse group of fish, a generalization regarding tank size or set-up would be inaccurate.
WATER
: Again, do to the wide distribution of Labyrinth fish, an accurate pH range can not be given. Generally a pH from 6-7.5, a water hardness from 4-15 dH, and a temperature from 72-82°F (22-28°C) is satisfactory.
SB
:Although some species are pugnacious, and at least one genus is predatory, most Labyrinth fish are suitable for community tanks. Males are frequently territorial and may harass females around spawning times.
SC
: See individual descriptions.
FOOD
: Many Labyrinth fish accept a wide range of live and dry foods.
B
: Labyrinth have developed different spawning behavior in order to adapt to various environmental conditions. These include bubble-nest builders, mouth-brooders, and open-spawners.
(1) Male bubble-nest builders gather debris and create a nest of bubbles encased in saliva at the water's surface. Spawning takes place below the nest, and the male takes the eggs or fry into the nest. He tends to the eggs and guards the territory towards other fish-including the female.
(2) Mouth brooding is another technique used by several types of labyrinth fish. After spawning the eggs are taken into the mouth of the male or female, depending on the species. There the eggs are incubated for a time.
(3) Open water spawners simply release their eggs with little regard to where the eggs end up. These species do not take part in brood care.
BP
: The difficulty of breeding depends entirely on the species.
DC
:Labyrinth fish offer a wide range of possibilities for the beginning aquariast to even the most advanced aquariast.
Species Index
|
Fish Home
|
Rainforests
|
|
|
|
Recent news
New Yangtze River dam could doom more endangered species
(06/22/2009)
Eight Chinese environmentalists and scientists have composed a letter warning that a new dam under consideration for the Yangtze River could lead to the extinction of several endangered species. The letter contends that Xiaonanhia Dam, which would be 30 kilometers upstream from the city of Chongqing, will negatively impact the river’s only fish reserve. Spanning 400 kilometers in the upper Yangtze, the reserve is home to 180 fish species, including the Endangered Chinese sturgeon, and the Critically Endangered Chinese paddlefish, as well as the finless porpoise.
Fish take less than a decade to evolve
(06/22/2009)
Evolution is often thought of being a slow-process, taking thousands, if not millions, of years. However a new study in The American Naturalist found that Trinidadian guppies underwent evolution in just eight years, or thirty generations. Less than a decade ago Swanne Gordon, a graduate student at UC Riverside, and her team introduced Trinidadian guppies into the Damier River in the Caribbean island of Trinidad. They placed the guppies above a waterfall to allow them to flourish in a largely predator-free environment.
Madfish?: scientist warns that farmed fish could be a source of mad cow disease
(06/17/2009)
In a paper that shows just how strange our modern world has become, Robert P. Friedland, neurologist from the University of Louisville, warns that farmed fish could be at risk of Creutzfeldt Jakob disease, or mad cow disease.
New report predicts dire consequences for every U.S. region from global warming
(06/17/2009)
Government officials and scientists released a 196 page report detailing the impact of global warming on the U.S. yesterday. The study, commissioned in 2007 during the Bush Administration, found that every region of the U.S. faces large-scale consequences due to climate change, including higher temperatures, increased droughts, heavier rainfall, more severe weather, water shortages, rising sea levels, ecosystem stresses, loss of biodiversity, and economic impacts.
Will jellyfish take over the world?
(06/16/2009)
It could be a plot of a (bad) science-fiction film: a man-made disaster creates spawns of millions upon millions of jellyfish which rapidly take over the ocean. Humans, starving for mahi-mahi and Chilean seabass, turn to jellyfish, which becomes the new tuna (after the tuna fishery has collapsed, of course). Fish sticks become jelly-sticks, and fish-and-chips becomes jelly-and-chips. The sci-fi film could end with the ominous image of a jellyfish evolving terrestrial limbs and pulling itself onto land—readying itself for a new conquest.
Marine scientist calls for abstaining from seafood to save oceans
(06/08/2009)
In April marine scientist Jennifer Jacquet made the case on her blog Guilty Planet that people should abstain from eating seafood to help save life in the ocean. With fish populations collapsing worldwide and scientists sounding warnings that ocean ecosystems—as edible resources—have only decades left, it is perhaps surprising that Jacquet’s call to abstain from consuming seafood is a lone voice in the wilderness, but thus far few have called for seafood lovers to abstain.
|
|
