Ornate paradisefish

Ornate paradisefish
Conservation status

Conservation Dependent  (IUCN 2.3)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Osphronemidae
Genus: Malpulutta
Deraniyagala, 1937
Species: M. kretseri
Binomial name
Malpulutta kretseri
Deraniyagala, 1937

The ornate paradisefish or spotted gourami, Malpulutta kretseri, is a species of gourami endemic to Sri Lanka. It inhabits shallow, slow-flowing streams in forested areas shaded with plentiful vegetation near the edges and a substrate covered by leaf litter. It is a carnivore, preying on plankton, fish fry, and the larvae of insects. They can reach a length of 4 cm (1.6 in), though most are only around 2 cm (0.79 in). This species can also be found in the aquarium trade.[2]

References

  1. Pethiyagoda, R. 1996. Malpulutta kretseri. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 March 2014.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). "Malpulutta kretseri" in FishBase. February 2014 version.