Records in literature. — Trichogaster trichopterus—Hanitsch, 1901: 4 (Singapore); Hanitsch, 1904: 14 (Singapore);
Herre & Myers, 1937: 73 (ponds on Singapore Island); Alfred, 1961: 17 (various localities including Kranji, Jurong and
Seletar Rivers); Chia, 1962: 3–4 (ponds and ditch at Jalan Kuala Simpang, Sungei Simpang Kiri stream, ditch at 17th
mile stone Jurong Road); Alfred, 1966: 52 (Sungei Ayer Tawar at Huat Choe, Sungei Seletar at Nee Soon Rifle Range,
Serangoon, Jervois Road, Woodleigh, Sungei Tengeh, Serangoon Road at Alkaff Gardens, Sungei Kangkar at 17th mile
Lim Chu Kang Road, Sungei Kallang outlet of Lower Peirce Reservoir, Sungei Seletar outlet of Upper Seletar
Reservoir, Somerset Road); Johnson, 1973a: 112–120 (inhabits drinking water reservoirs, open country habitats, weedy
ditches and ponds, fish ponds, water hyacinth ponds); Johnson, 1973b: 133 (occurs in oligohaline waters); Anonymous,
1988a: 9 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Feb.1988, pond in Nee Soon swamp forest in Apr.1988, Senoko in Mar.1988); Anonymous, 1989: 5 (brackish water pond at Woodlands Town Gardens in Feb.1989); Lim & Ng, 1990: 97
(rural and forest streams, ponds and reservoirs); Munroe, 1990: 112 (common in many rural and outlying streams in the
Mandai, Nee Soon and other northern areas); Ng & Lim, 1992: 259 (Nee Soon Swamp Forest); Lim, 1995: 162 (Bukit
Timah Nature Reserve in Catchment Pond); Ng & Lim, 1996: 114 (Jurong Road, ditches near Sembawang Hot Spring,
West Coast Road, Sg. Kranji along Choa Chu Kang Road, Jurong Road, Mandai, adjacent streams of Upper Seletar
Reservoir); Ng & Lim, 1997: 252 (Central Catchment Nature Reserve in exposed water bodies); Lim et al., 2000: 21–22
(pipeline pool and range area in Nee Soon Swamp Forest, freshwater pond at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, streams
and ponds at Ulu Sembawang and Lorong Gambas, streams at Upper Seletar Reservoir Park); Subaraj et al., 2000: 6 (rural stream at Lorong Danau); Anonymous, 2003: 95 (Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve); Baker & Lim, 2008: 47, 158
(native, widespread and common). Osphromenus trichopterus—Duncker, 1904: 164 (Rochor River); Hanitsch, 1912:
27 (various localities within city area of Singapore). Trichopodus trichopterus—Fowler, 1938: 124 (Singapore);
Tweedie, 1936: 23 (Singapore).
NATURE IN SINGAPORE 2012 5: 83–93
Date of Publication: 21 March 2012
© National University of Singapore
GOURAMIES OF THE GENUS TRICHOPODUS IN SINGAPORE
(ACTINOPTERYGII: PERCIFORMES: OSPHRONEMIDAE)
Bi Wei Low*
and Kelvin K. P. Lim**
Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore
6 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117600, Republic of Singapore
ABSTRACT. — The local distribution and status for gouramies of the genus Trichopodus in Singapore are reviewed.
Of the three species recorded, i.e., Trichopodus trichopterus, Trichopodus pectoralis, and Trichopodus microlepis, only
Trichopodus trichopterus is native. It is also the most common and widespread. Trichopodus pectoralis is thriving but
uncommon, and Trichopodus microlepis does not appear to have established populations.