Licorice Gourami

About

Found only on Bangka Island in Indonesia, this small member of the licorice gourami group, Parosphromenus deissneri, carries the distinction of being the first-described species in its genus. And the only one recognized for nearly a century after Bleeker named it in 1859. That long solo reign created a messy legacy: the name was applied loosely to similar fish from across Southeast Asia, many of which have since turned out to be distinct species. Even pinning down what the true P. deissneri looks like took a formal redescription in 1998, complete with a newly designated specimen. Males can be identified by the pale oval spots on the membranes of their unpaired fins, with dark rays between them, and a distinctly prolonged central caudal-fin ray that extends into a filament. In the wild this species inhabits slow, vegetated creeks typical of blackwater peat swamp habitat. Unlike many of its labyrinth fish relatives, it relies primarily on gill respiration rather than regularly gulping air at the surface. Breeding behavior is genuinely fascinating. Males perform near-vertical head-down courtship displays, then guard eggs in a small cave while females defend the surrounding territory. This is firmly a species for experienced keepers: it needs a quiet, species-appropriate setup, clean acidic water, and careful tank mates if any are kept at all.