Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Giant red tail gourami (Osphronemus laticlavius), recorded as Endangered
Giant red tail gourami (Osphronemus laticlavius). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Giant red tail gourami

Osphronemus laticlavius

Giant red tail gourami is a gourami in the family Osphronemidae (order Perciformes) — Osphronemus laticlavius, recorded as Endangered.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Osphronemus laticlavius
Taxonomy
Perciformes · Osphronemidae · Osphronemus

Appearance

Adults have bright red fin edges with filamentous extensions. Body colour varies from gray-blue to gray-green to brown, darker on the back. Like other species of the genus Osphronemus, juveniles and adults are quite different, as in juveniles the colors are less dramatic and the bright red fins develops only with age.

First described in 1992 based on an aquarium specimen, its exact range was not entirely certain, leading some source to incorrectly also report it from Indonesia.

Range and habitat

This endangered fish is native to the Southeast Asian island of Borneo, where only known from the Kinabatangan and Segama river basins in Sabah, East Malaysia. The giant red tail gourami is not common. In a study of the Segama River that covered eight years only a few were caught, and it may already have disappeared from the lower Kinabatangan River. It is replaced in Brunei, Sarawak, and North, East and West Kalimantan by the closely related O. Septemfasciatus (this species may also occur in Sabah, but that is unconfirmed).

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

In crisis

The common giant gourami (O. Goramy) occurs at least in Sarawak and West Kalimantan, but this species is possibly not native to Borneo, instead being introduced.

Giant red tail gourami is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Giant red tail gourami, Wikidata item Q6411774. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Also in this catalog

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Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
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Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii
Photograph of Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum

Quick answers

What is Giant red tail gourami?
Giant red tail gourami is a gourami in the family Osphronemidae (order Perciformes) — Osphronemus laticlavius.
What is the conservation status of Giant red tail gourami?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Osphronemus laticlavius. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Giant red tail gourami live?
This endangered fish is native to the Southeast Asian island of Borneo, where only known from the Kinabatangan and Segama river basins in Sabah, East Malaysia.
Why is Giant red tail gourami in crisis?
This endangered fish is native to the Southeast Asian island of Borneo, where only known from the Kinabatangan and Segama river basins in Sabah, East Malaysia.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Osphronemus laticlavius?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Giant red tail gourami a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.