Gladiator betta
Betta gladiator
10 cm
Adult size
80 L
Minimum volume
2
Minimum group
8 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Betta
- Diet
- carnivore
- Social life
- pair
In the wild
Overview
Described in 2005 by Tan Heok Hui and Peter Ng, the gladiator betta owes its name to its combative temperament. It belongs to the Betta unimaculata complex, fighters with long bodies and large rounded heads with a big mouth.
It differs from its relatives by a yellowish-brown body and the lack of a spine in the dorsal fin. The species is known only from a small basin in the interior of Sabah.
- Scientific name
- Betta gladiator Tan & Ng, 2005
- Classification
- Anabantiformes › Osphronemidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Maliau basin, Sabah (Malaysian Borneo)
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in the Maliau basin, a remote and protected plateau in central Sabah. The type series was collected in heath forest, in very acidic water (pH 4.2 to 4.8), alongside a small barb and a catfish of the genus Hemibagrus.
In the wild, adults keep about a metre apart from each other, each accompanied by a few juveniles.
Behaviour
Aggressive and territorial towards its own kind: in captivity, individuals kept together fight relentlessly and can kill each other in a confined space. Keep it as a pair, in a spacious tank with plenty of hiding places.
Towards other species it is rather discreet and easily outcompeted by livelier fish. A mouthbrooder, the male keeps the eggs in his mouth. It hunts insects and small invertebrates.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth