Thick-lipped Gourami

The Thick-lipped Gourami is a small labyrinth fish native to the Irrawaddy River basin and surrounding freshwater habitats of Myanmar. It is closely related to the popular Dwarf Gourami and shares a similar body shape and diagonal banding pattern, but is distinguished by its notably thickened, fleshy lips, from which its common name derives. Breeding males display alternating diagonal bands of reddish-orange and iridescent blue-green along the flanks, a pattern reminiscent of its Dwarf Gourami relative, while females remain comparatively plain and silvery. As a labyrinth fish, it is equipped with an accessory breathing organ that allows it to gulp atmospheric air, an adaptation to the warm, often oxygen-poor waters of its native streams and ponds.

• Small, laterally compressed body with alternating diagonal bands of reddish-orange and iridescent blue-green, most vivid in breeding males
• Noticeably thick, fleshy lips, more pronounced than in the closely related Dwarf Gourami, giving the species its common name
• Long, thin, thread-like pelvic fins
• Pointed dorsal and anal fins, more elongated in males
• Females are duller, more silvery-tan with less distinct banding
• Distinguished from the Dwarf Gourami primarily by lip thickness and a slightly more elongated body

Thick-lipped Gouramis are native to the Irrawaddy River basin and associated freshwater streams, ponds, and ditches of Myanmar. They favor warm, still to slow-moving water with dense vegetation, which offers cover for this relatively small and unassuming species. As labyrinth fish, they tolerate low-oxygen conditions well, regularly surfacing to gulp air, an adaptation suited to the shallow, vegetation-choked waters typical of their native range. The species is found in a variety of lowland freshwater habitats, including agricultural waterways and slow tributary streams, where it coexists with other small Southeast and South Asian freshwater fish.

Thick-lipped Gouramis are peaceful, moderately shy fish that spend much of their time among vegetation, feeding omnivorously on small insects, crustaceans, worms, and plant matter. As labyrinth breathers, they regularly surface to gulp air. During the breeding season, males intensify in color and construct bubble nests among floating plants at the surface, then perform a courtship display to draw in a female. After an embrace-style spawning, the male gathers the buoyant eggs into the nest and guards both eggs and fry, chasing off intruders, including the female, until the young fish become free-swimming and independent.