Gourami

Gouramis, or gouramies , are a group of freshwater anabantiform fish that comprise the family Osphronemidae. The fish are native to Asia—from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia and northeasterly towards Korea. The name gourami, from the Sundanese word gurame, is also used for fish of the families Helostomatidae and Anabantidae. Many gouramis have an elongated, feeler-like ray at the front of each of their pelvic fins. All living species show parental care until fry are free swimming: some are mouthbrooders, like the Krabi mouth-brooding betta (Betta simplex), and others, like the Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens), build bubble nests. Currently, about 133 species are recognised, placed in four subfamilies and about 15 genera. The name Polyacanthidae has also been used for this family. Some fish now classified as gouramis were previously placed in family Anabantidae. The subfamily Belontiinae was recently demoted from the family Belontiidae. As labyrinth fishes, gouramis have a lung-like labyrinth organ that allows them to gulp air and use atmospheric oxygen. This organ is a vital adaptation for fish that often inhabit warm, shallow, oxygen-poor water. Gouramis can live for 1–5 years. The earliest fossil gourami is Ombilinichthys from the early-mid Eocene Sangkarewang Formation of Sumatra, Indonesia. A second fossil taxon from the same formation, known from several specimens and tentatively assigned to Osphronemus goramy when analyzed in the 1930s, is now lost.