Parosphromenus harveyi

Appearance

The species is characterized by 11 to 13 dorsal spines, 5 to 7 dorsal soft rays, 11 to 13 anal spines, and 8 to 11 anal soft rays. It is typically around 3.0 to 3.5 cm (1.2 to 1.4 in) in length, with an elongated body and a round caudal fin. In nuptial colouration, the male is distinguished from most of the other round-tailed Parosphromenus species (with the exception of the P. Bintan complex) by the absence of any red portions in its colour and its striking iridescent blue-green luminescent bands on the unpaired fins.

Species of the genus Parosphromenus, usually less than 3.0 cm (1.2 in) in standard length, are stenotypic inhabitants of peat swamp forests and associated blackwater streams with limited light penetration.

The species was described by Barbara Brown in 1987, alongside its congener P. Allani.

Range and habitat

Parosphromenus harveyi is a tropical, freshwater, pelagic, non-migratory fish and a known inhabitant of peat swamp forests and associated blackwater streams. It typically occurs at a depth of 0.3 to 1.6 m (1.0 to 5.2 ft), although this fluctuates based on rainfall. The species is native to Asia, occurring in Selangor and the vicinity of Tanjong Malim in Perak in Malaysia.

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

Diet and breeding

This species is chiefly a micropredator feeding on tiny aquatic invertebrates, therefore, in an aquarium setting, it must be offered a variety of small live foods such as Artemia nauplii, Daphnia, Moina, mosquito larvae, microworms, etc. Parosphromenus spp. Have been grouped arbitrarily based on courtship behaviour in males that adopt a "head-down", "head-up", or "horizontal" position depending on species.

The species normally spawns in small caves or among leaf litter, forming temporary pair bonds with the male solely responsible for egg and brood-care. Sexually-active males form small territories, at the centre of that is a small cave normally formed from leaf litter in natural settings, with males then attempting to attract females in the vicinity to enter the cave via courtship displays.

In crisis

Parosphromenus harveyi, commonly referred to as a "licorice gourami" alongside its congeners, is a small labyrinth fish native to peat swamp forests in the Tanjong Malim area within the state of Perak, with populations of the species exhibiting a wide variety of morphological and behavioural traits. P. Harveyi still occurs in some drainage canals and in remaining blackwater streams of the relict jungle.

Parosphromenus harveyi 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 Parosphromenus harveyi, Wikidata item Q4860616. 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.