Chaetodon chinensis Bloch, 1790
genus species 6
Labrus opercularis Linnaeus, 1758
Macropodus chinensis (Bloch, 1790)
Macropodus ctenopsoides Brind, 1915
Macropodus filamentosus Oshima, 1919
Macropodus venustus Cuvier, 1831
Macropodus viridiauratus Lacepède, 1801
|Red List Category & Criteria:||Least Concern ver 3.1|
|Reviewer(s):||Freyhof, J., Allen, D.J. & Smith, K.|
Macropodus opercularis has been assessed as Least Concern as this species has a large distribtuion area and there are no known widespread threats to this species.
|Range Description:||Macropodus opercularis has a southeastern Asia distribution. It is known from slow-moving streams and marshes in eastern China from Yangtze River to Pearl River basin including Taiwan and Hainan Island, in northern and central Viet Nam and in northeastern Lao P.D.R.(Wang et al. 1999, Kottelat 2001a, b, Freyhof and Herder 2002, Serov et al. 2006). Introduced into the tropical and subtropical world (Freyhof and Herder 2002).|
Native:China; Hong Kong; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Malaysia; Russian Federation; Taiwan, Province of China; Viet Nam
Introduced:Japan; Korea, Republic of
|Range Map:||Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.|
|Population:||There is no information available on species population size and trends within its whole distribution range. Only in some regions (Taiwan and Sichuan Province), a significant decline of Macropodus opercularis population was observed in the second half of the 20th century (see Wang et al. 1999).|
|Habitat and Ecology:||
Inhabits any kind of lowland habitats from heterogeneous structured margins or backwaters of large rivers to small streams and irrigation channels on farmland (Freyhof and Herder 2002). Can colonize stagnant water bodies with very low oxygen content (air breather). Found in paddy fields and ditches (Man and Hodgkiss 1981). Feeds on small aquatic animals including small fish.
Male builds bubble nests and mates below, the sinking eggs will be placed to nests by mouth. The young will be guarded by the male parent. Males will fight each other.
|Use and Trade:||Very popular in the aquarium trade and therefore it has been widely transported around the world. First ornamental fish to be brought to Europe (France 1869, Germany 1876) after the goldfish.|
|Major Threat(s):||Threats to this species are habitat destruction and water pollution through pesticide use on agriculture land.|
|Conservation Actions:||Conservation measures on not known. Monitoring of the species is recommended as in some areas the species has declined.|
Wang, T.Y., Tzeng, C.-S. and Shen, S.C. 1999. Conservation and Phylogeography of Taiwan Paradise Fish, Macropodus opercularis Linnaeus. Acta Zoologica Taiwan 10(2): 121-134.
XIE Zeng-Lan,HU Jin-Chu. 2006. Observation on the Breeding Behavior of Macropodus opercularis. Chinese Journal of Zoology 41(5): 7-12.
Zheng, C.-Y. 1989. Fishes of the Zhujiang river. Science Press, Beijing.
Zheng wenbiao. 1984. OBSERVATION ON THE EMBRYONIC AND LARVAL DEVELOPMENT OF MACROPODUS OPERCULARIS (LINNAEUS). Zoological Research 5(3): 261-269.