Fish profile · Osphronemidae
Penang betta
Betta pugnax
Penang betta is a wild mouthbrooding fighting fish native to Peninsular Malaysia and neighbouring areas. The male carries developing eggs and fry in its mouth. On Penang it has been collected in clear hill streams, particularly in sheltered margins with roots and leaf litter.
Last reviewed 26 October 2026 · 6 sources
- Max length
- 7 cm
- without the tail
- IUCN
- LC
- Least Concern
- In Malaysia
- Native
- Family
- Osphronemidae
- order Perciformes
Category from the IUCN Red List, via GBIF (CC BY 4.0); it may lag the latest Red List assessment.
How big?
Linear scale · hand 18 cm
Up to 7 cm without the tail.
Where in Malaysia
49 open-licence records · GBIF
- Recorded (open records)
Recorded in Johor, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Sarawak, Pahang, Selangor, Melaka, and Terengganu. Based on 49 open-licence records on GBIF. Few records can mean few surveys, not few fish.
How to identify
- Blue to green iridescence on the gill cover and body
- Slender body and broadly pointed tail
- Males may have transverse bars on the tail
Habitat
Forest streams with cover from roots, overhanging vegetation and submerged leaf litter.
- Diet
- Mostly insects and their larvae, and sometimes other small animals without backbones.
- Native range
- Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and parts of the Riau, Lingga and Anambas islands and Sumatra.
Aquarium care
- Minimum tank
- 57 L
- Temperature
- 20–28°C
- pH
- 5–7.5
- Temperament
- Peaceful
More photos
Sources
Last reviewed 26 October 2026