''Betta mahachaiensis'' is a species of bubble-nesting

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

native to

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, where it occurs naturally near the

Gulf of Thailand The Gulf of Thailand (), historically known as the Gulf of Siam (), is a shallow inlet adjacent to the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. ...

. It is typically seen in stagnant waters in swamps, pools, and ponds. The species can be found in brackish waters, with salinity levels between 1.1 and 10.6 parts per thousand. ''Betta mahachaiensis'' is capable of living in both

fresh water Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salt (chemistry), salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include ...

and

brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuary ...

, a trait unique among fish in the genus ''

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

''. This species grows to a length of 5 to 6 cm (2 to 2.4 inches). It is found in the

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

trade. ''Betta mahachaiensis'' was discovered in 2012 by a team of biologists led by Dr. Bhinyo Panijpan's

Mahidol University Mahidol University is an autonomous university, autonomous public university, public research university in Thailand. The university was founded as part of Siriraj Hospital in 1888. It was first called the University of Medical Science in 1943, ...

research group (with PhD candidate Mr. Chanon Kowasupat.). It was found in the province of Samut Sakhon in

, and its specific name is a derivation of the Thai name for the sub-district. Male individuals of the species are distinguished from species such as '' Betta splendens'' by iridescent green-blue stripes on a brown-black background. As labyrinth fish, ''Betta mahachaiensis'' have a pair of suprabranchial chambers that each house an air-breathing organ known as the labyrinth organ, a complex bony structure lined with thin, highly vascularised respiratory epithelium. The labyrinth organ is a morpho-physiological adaptation that allows labyrinth fish to extract oxygen from air.

References

mahachaiensis Fishkeeping Taxa named by Kowasupat Taxa named by Bhinyo Panijpan Taxa named by Pintip Ruenwongsa Taxa named by Namkang Sriwattanarothai Fish described in 2012 Fish of Thailand Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN {{Anabantiformes-stub