Anabas testudineus

Anabas testudineus, the climbing perch, is a species of fish in the family Anabantidae, the climbing gouramis. It is native to Asia, where it occurs from India east to China and to the Wallace Line. It is an invasive species that can live without water for 6–10 hours.[3] It is believed that the fish may be invading new territories by slipping aboard fishing boats. It has also been established in some countries outside of its native range, in eastern Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It is believed to be advancing toward Australia. In late 2005, the fish was discovered on Saibai Island and another small Australian island in the Torres Strait north of Queensland, about three to four miles south of Papua New Guinea.[4]

Climbing perch
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anabantiformes
Family: Anabantidae
Genus: Anabas
Species:
A. testudineus
Binomial name
Anabas testudineus
(Bloch, 1792)
Synonyms[2]
  • Anthias testudineus Bloch, 1792
  • Amphiprion testudineus (Bloch, 1792)
  • Antias testudineus (Bloch, 1792)
  • Sparus testudineus (Bloch, 1792)
  • Perca scandens Daldorff, 1797
  • Anabas scandens (Daldorff, 1797)
  • Lutjanus scandens (Daldorff, 1797)
  • Sparus scandens (Daldorff, 1797)
  • Amphiprion scansor Bloch & Schneider, 1801
  • Lutjanus testudo Lacepède, 1802
  • Anabas spinosus Gray, 1834
  • Anabas variegatus Bleeker, 1851
  • Anabas macrocephalus Bleeker, 1855
  • Anabas microcephalus Bleeker, 1857
  • Anabas trifoliatus Kaup, 1860
  • Anabas elongatus Reuvens, 1895

This species grows to 25 cm (9.8 in) in total length.[2]

It is likely that this is a species complex, with the name Anabas testudineus applied to what are actually several different species. With further study, populations of this fish may be divided up into separate species and given new names.[1]

As food

This species is important as a food fish in certain areas of South Asia and in Southeast Asia, where its ability to survive out of the water for extended periods of time, provided it is kept moist, improves its marketability.[2]

Pla mo at a riverside market in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand
Anabas testudineus curry preparation

See also

References
  1. Ahmad, A.B.; Hadiaty, R.K.; de Alwis Goonatilake, S.; Fernado, M. & Kotagama, O. (2019). "Anabas testudineus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T166543A60590563. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). "Anabas testudineus" in FishBase. August 2019 version.
  3. Hughes, G. M.; B. N. Singh (1970). "Respiration in an Air-Breathing Fish, the Climbing Perch Anabas Testudineus Bloch". Journal of Experimental Biology. 53: 265–280. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  4. Jonathan Pearlman, Aggressive 'walking' fish is heading south towards Australia, scientists warn, The Telegraph, Tuesday 02 June 2015 from telegraph.co.uk, accessed June 2, 2015.


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