The clown rasbora (''Rasbora kalochroma'') is a species of freshwater

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

in the genus ''

Rasbora ''Rasbora'' is a genus of fish in the family Danionidae. They are native to freshwater habitats in South and Southeast Asia, as well as southeast China. A single species, ''R. gerlachi'', is only known from an old specimen that reputedly origina ...

''. This fish is found in

Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

and

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

Description

Clown rasbora can grow up to long. While coloring within populations may vary, it typically has a pinkish-red body with two dark spots located on the flank, one behind the gill and the other in the midsection of the flank. Some will have small dark spots in between connecting the large dark markings. Females are noticeably larger than males and have rounder bellies, while males are slimmer and exhibit more vibrant colors.

Conservation

The native habitat of this ''

'' species is the tannin stained waters of Southeast Asia. These swamps and rivers get their dark hue from broken down plant matter making the water acidic and staining the water a dark brown color. These rivers are normally covered with a large canopy, containing lots of leaves and twigs in the water allowing for protection. In order to keep these habitats safe, the government has established a Peat Restoration Agency (BRG) to restore what has already been damaged by pollution. Peat swamps are mainly degraded by permitted plantation and mining activities. The BRG are using three primary approaches to conservation: rewetting, revegetation, and peatland community revitalization. Peat swamps are vital for some communities because they are a source of food and habitat. Peat swamps produce

sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...

, which is a staple food for the people of New Guinea and the Maluku islands.

Breeding

Clown rasbora have a specific spawning season with favorable conditions encouraging their offspring to survive. Males will display bright colors, attracting females to mate. Clown rasbora scatter their eggs in batches amongst the plants and rocks. These eggs should fall to ground level safely. In good conditions, eggs should hatch within 24 hours and will become free-swimming within 1-3 days. The offspring will feed on their yolk sac shell until it has been completely absorbed which normally happens by day 5.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2259251 Rasbora Freshwater fish of Indonesia Freshwater fish of Malaysia Freshwater fish of Borneo Fauna of Sumatra Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker Fish described in 1851