Betta anabatoides

Tan, Heok Hui, 2009, Redescription of Betta anabatoides Bleeker, and a new species of Betta from West Kalimantan, Borneo (Teleostei: Osphronemidae), Zootaxa 2165, pp. 59-68 : 60

Betta anabatoides group

This species group (inclusive of B. waseri ) was defined by Witte & Schmidt (1992) by the following shared characters: absence of iridescent opercle scales; filamentous pelvic ray usually not extended; head with two light spots behind eyes; adult body colour uniform reddish brown or black. Here, after examination of more extensive series of specimens from South and Central Kalimantan, the B. anabatoides group is re-defined and characterised as follows: body relatively short and stout (body depth greater than 31.0 % SL); chin-bar absent; opercle scales slight iridescent gold; terminal portion of caudal rays elongated beyond margin of caudal-fin membrane; caudal transverse bars present or absent; head dorsally convex; body stout, superficially reminescent of Anabas . Witte & Schmidt (1992) recognised B. anabatoides as having no markings on the lower jaw and lacking a distinctive colour pattern on the throat; having the central stripe between the lower lip and the eye with “variable modifications” (without further elaboration); having a body size up to 90 mm SL; and occurring in South, Central and West Kalimantan.

The B. anabatoides group is closely related to the B. waseri group established by Ng & Kottelat (1994). These two sister groups share the common characters of large adult size, drab coloration, diagnostic eye colour (see Tan, 1998) and the presence of a well marked black lower lip. However, members of the B. anabatoides group can be differentiated from those of the B. waseri group by having an unmarked (vs. a patterned) throat; absence (vs. presence) of silver distal edges on unpaired fins in life; and a distinct and uninterrupted (vs. indistinct and often interrupted) black postorbital stripe from the posterior edge of the eye to the edge of the opercle.

The B. anabatoides group is presently known only from the southern half of Borneo. It consists of two species: B. anabatoides Bleeker , and B. midas , herein described.