''Macropodus'' is a genus of small to medium-sized labyrinth fish native to freshwater habitats in eastern Asia. Most species are restricted to southern China (including

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

) and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

, but ''M. opercularis'' occurs as far north as the

Yangtze The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flow ...

basin, and ''M. ocellatus'' occurs north to the

Amur River The Amur (russian: река́ Аму́р, ), or Heilong Jiang (, "Black Dragon River", ), is the world's tenth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China ( Inner Manchuria). The Amur proper is long ...

, as well as in Japan and

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...

. In China, they are often used for fights, so they are named Chinese bettas because of their similarity to the genus ''

Betta ''Betta'' is a large genus of small, active, often colorful, freshwater ray-finned fishes, in the gourami family (Osphronemidae). The best known ''Betta'' species is ''B. splendens,'' commonly known as the Siamese fighting fish and often kep ...

''. A few species in the genus are regularly seen in the aquarium trade, and ''M. opercularis'' has been introduced to regions far outside its native range.SeriouslyFish:
Macropodus opercularis.
' Retrieved 16 July 2014.

Species

As of 2014, the recognized species in this genus are: * ''

Macropodus baviensis ''Macropodus'' is a genus of small to medium-sized labyrinth fish native to freshwater habitats in eastern Asia. Most species are restricted to southern China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) and Vietnam, but ''M. opercularis'' occurs as far nort ...

'' H. D. Nguyễn & V. H. Nguyễn, 2005 * ''

Macropodus erythropterus The red-backed paradise fish (''Macropodus erythropterus'') is a species of gourami endemic to streams in Vietnam. This species grows to a standard length of , and it is sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. Range and habitat The red-backed p ...

'' Freyhof &

Herder A herder is a pastoral worker responsible for the care and management of a herd or flock of domestic animals, usually on open pasture. It is particularly associated with nomadic or transhumant management of stock, or with common land grazin ...

, 2002 (Red-backed paradisefish) * ''

Macropodus hongkongensis ''Macropodus hongkongensis'' is a species of paradise fish ('' Macropodus'') endemic to southern China South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. ...

'' Freyhof & Herder, 2002 * ''

Macropodus lineatus ''Macropodus'' is a genus of small to medium-sized labyrinth fish native to freshwater habitats in eastern Asia. Most species are restricted to southern China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) and Vietnam, but ''M. opercularis'' occurs as far nort ...

'' V. H. Nguyễn, S. V. Ngô & H. D. Nguyễn, 2005 * ''

Macropodus ocellatus The round-tailed paradise fish (''Macropodus ocellatus'') is a species of gourami native to eastern Asia, where it is found in Korea and China. It is also found in Japan but it is believed that they were introduced from Korea in the 1910s. It is ...

Cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

, 1842 (Round-tailed paradisefish) * ''

Macropodus oligolepis ''Macropodus'' is a genus of small to medium-sized labyrinth fish native to freshwater habitats in eastern Asia. Most species are restricted to southern China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) and Vietnam, but ''M. opercularis'' occurs as far nort ...

'' V. H. Nguyễn, S. V. Ngô & H. D. Nguyễn, 2005 * ''

Macropodus opercularis The paradise fish, paradise-fish, paradisefish, or paradise gourami (''Macropodus opercularis'') is a species of gourami found in most types of fresh water in East Asia, ranging from the Korean Peninsula to northern Vietnam. This species can ...

'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, t ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoological ...

) (Paradise fish) * ''

Macropodus phongnhaensis ''Macropodus'' is a genus of small to medium-sized labyrinth fish native to freshwater habitats in eastern Asia. Most species are restricted to southern China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) and Vietnam, but ''M. opercularis'' occurs as far nort ...

'' S. V. Ngô, V. H. Nguyễn & H. D. Nguyễn, 2005 * ''

Macropodus spechti The black paradisefish (''Macropodus spechti'') is a species of gourami endemic to Vietnam. It is an inhabitant of hill streams, lowland streams, and irrigation ditches in farmland. This species grows to a standard length of . It is found in t ...

'' Schreitmüller, 1936 (Black paradisefish)

References

Macropodusinae Freshwater fish genera Taxa named by Bernard Germain de Lacépède {{Anabantiformes-stub