Biparental mouthbrooding in Betta sp. Antuta (Anabantoidei, Osphronemidae)
In: BehaviourSearch for other papers by Dmitry D. Zworykin in
Current site
Google Scholar
Search for other papers by Elena Kuznetsova in
Current site
Google Scholar
Abstract
We report anecdotal evidence of biparental mouthbrooding in the osphronemid fish Betta sp. Antuta. Contrary to the prevailing assumption that mouthbrooding in the genus Betta is strictly uniparental and male-driven, we observed repeated instances of female involvement in egg collection and incubation, including one case in which the female alone incubated the brood until fry release. This observation calls for a reconsideration of existing conceptual frameworks of parental care in osphronemids, drawing attention to the plasticity of reproductive strategies and the diversity of tactics, while also highlighting the value of data generated through the aquarium hobby as a form of citizen science.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
-
Abecia, J.E., Luiz, O.J., Crook, D.A., Banks, S.C., Wedd, D. & King, A.J. (2022). Sex and male breeding state predict intraspecific trait variation in mouth-brooding fishes. — J. Fish Biol. 101: 550-559. DOI:10.1111/jfb.15122.
-
Bouchet, P., Decock, W., Lonneville, B., Vanhoorne, B. & Vandepitte, L. (2023). Marine biodiversity discovery: the metrics of new species descriptions. — Front. Mar. Sci. 10: 1-14. DOI:10.3389/fmars.2023.929989.
-
Budi, D.S., Priyadi, A., Permana, A., Gunawan, Teletchea, F., Mubarak, A.S. & Mustofa, I. (2025). Reproductive strategies of domestic Betta splendens as a foundation for developing breeding programs for Indonesia’s endangered wild species. — Anim. Reprod. Sci. 281: 107984. DOI:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2025.107984.
-
Denaro, M. (2015). Wild Bettas: the unimaculata species complex. — Trop. Fish Hob. Mag. 63: 28-30.
-
Di Febbraro, M., Bosso, L., Fasola, M., Santicchia, F., Aloise, G., Lioy, S., Tricarico, E., Ruggieri, L., Bovero, S., Mori, E. & Bertolino, S. (2023). Different facets of the same niche: Integrating citizen science and scientific survey data to predict biological invasion risk under multiple global change drivers. — Glob. Chang. Biol. 29: 5509-5523. DOI:10.1111/gcb.16901.
-
Fahmi, M.R., Kusrini, E., Hayuningtiyas, E.P., Sinansari, S. & Gustiano, R. (2020). DNA barcoding using COI gene sequences of wild Betta fighting fish from Indonesia: phylogeny, status and diversity. — Indones. Fish. Res. J. 26: 97. DOI:10.15578/ifrj.26.2.2020.97-105.
-
Fishelson, L. & Hilzerman, F. (2002). Flexibility in reproductive styles of male St. Peter’s tilapia, Sarotherodon galilaeus (Cichlidae). — Environ. Biol. Fishes 63: 173-182. DOI:10.1023/A:1014296103185.
-
Forselius, S. (1957). Studies of anabantid fishes. — Zool. Bidr. Uppsala 32: 93-597.
-
Goldstein, R.J. (2015). The Betta Handbook. — Barron, New York, NY.
-
Gonzalez-Voyer, A., Fitzpatrick, J.L. & Kolm, N. (2008). Sexual selection determines parental care patterns in cichlid fishes. — Evolution 62: 2015-2026. DOI:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2008.00426.x.
-
Hallmann, M. (2012). Betta sp. “antuta” Bulungan, 26/06/2012. — Internationale Gemeinschaft für Labyrinthfische e.V., Duisburg. Available online at https://www.igl-home.de/community/postid/31785/.
-
Haraguchi, A., Limin, S.H. & Darung, U. (2007). Water chemistry of Sebangau River and Kahayan River in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. — Tropics 16: 123-130.
-
Heiko (2020). Betta spec. Antuta/Bulungan ein kleiner Erfahrungsbericht. — Das freundliche Aquarium-Forum aus dem Osten ohne Grenzen. Available online at https://aquariumforum-ost.de/forum/index.php?thread/9721-betta-spec-antuta-bulungan-ein-kleiner-erfahrungsbericht/.
-
Hellweg, M. (2020). The magnificent mouthbrooding Bettas. — Trop. Fish Hob. Mag. 68: 68-72.
-
Hoey, A.S., Bellwood, D.R. & Barnett, A. (2012). To feed or to breed: morphological constraints of mouthbrooding in coral reef cardinalfishes. — Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. Ser. B: Biol. Sci. 279: 2426-2432. DOI:10.1098/rspb.2011.2679.
-
Huntingford, F.A. (2020). Fish behaviour: determinants and implications for welfare. — In: The welfare of fish (Kristiansen, T.S., Fernö, A., Pavlidis, M.A. & van de Vis, H., eds). Springer, Cham, p. 73-110.
-
International Betta Congress (2025). Betta brownorum Witte & Schmidt 1992. — Aqua-Fish.Net. Available online at https://en.aqua-fish.net/fish/browns-betta.
-
Klett, V. & Meyer, A. (2002). What, if anything, is a Tilapia? — Mitochondrial ND2 phylogeny of tilapiines and the evolution of parental care systems in the African cichlid fishes. — Mol. Biol. Evol. 19: 865-883. DOI:10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a004144.
-
Kokko, H. & Jennions, M.D. (2008). Parental investment, sexual selection and sex ratios. — J. Evol. Biol. 21: 919-948. DOI:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2008.01540.x.
-
Kullenberg, C. & Kasperowski, D. (2016). What is citizen science? — A scientometric meta-analysis. — PLoS ONE 11: e0147152. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0147152.
-
Linke, H. (1991). Labyrinth fish. The bubble-nest-builders. — Tetra Press, Melle.
-
Lorenz, J.J. & Taylor, D.H. (1992). Effects of a chemical stressor on the parental behavior of convict cichlids with offspring in early stages of development. — Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 121: 315-321.
-
Maceda-Veiga, A., Domínguez-Domínguez, O., Escribano-Alacid, J. & Lyons, J. (2016). The aquarium hobby: can sinners become saints in freshwater fish conservation? — Fish Fish. 17: 860-874.
-
Mank, J.E., Promislow, D.E.L. & Avise, J.C. (2005). Phylogenetic perspectives in the evolution of parental care in ray-finned fishes. — Evolution 59: 1570-1578. DOI:10.1111/j.0014-3820.2005.tb01806.x.
-
Martín, A.R. (2025). Kayan River tributary, Bulungan, North Kalimantan, Indonesia. — Biotope Aquarium Project. Available online at https://biotopeaquariumproject.com/bin/kayan-river-tributary-bulungan-north-kalimantan-indonesia-armartin/.
-
Muka, S. (2022). Taking hobbyists seriously: The reef tank hobby and knowledge production in serious leisure. — Stud. Hist. Philos. Sci. 93: 192-202. DOI:10.1016/j.shpsa.2022.04.002.
-
Novák, J., Hohl, D., Stuchlík, M., Hofmann, J., Tlusty, M.F., Magalhães, A.L.B., Maceda-Veiga, A., Akmal, S.G., Yue, G.H., Kumkar, P., Marr, S.M., Sara, J.R., Stern, N., Rhyne, A.L., Furse, J.M., Kalous, L. & Patoka, J. (2025). Revisiting the history of ornamental aquaculture in Europe to understand the benefits and drawbacks of freshwater fish imports. — Rev. Aquacult. 17: e13008. DOI:10.1111/raq.13008.
-
Priyadi, A., Permana, A., Nur, B., Cindelaras, S., Murniasih, S., Ginanjar, R., Rohmy, S., Lukman, Said, D.S., Yamin, M., Sholichah, L., Hayuningtyas, E.P., Murdinah, Fopp-Bayat, D.K., Suciyono & Budi, D.S. (2026). Adaptation and domestication of endangered wild betta fish (Betta channoides) originating from East Kalimantan, Indonesia. — Aquaculture 610: 742900. DOI:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.742900.
-
Rácz, A., Adorján, G., Fodor, E., Sellyei, B., Tolba, M., Miklósi, Á. & Varga, M. (2021). Housing, husbandry and welfare of a “classic” fish model, the paradise fish (Macropodus opercularis). — Animals 11: 786. DOI:10.3390/ani11030786.
-
Rios, A. (2024). Biotopo Rio Kayan — Betta antuta-Bulungan. — Blog de Little Tree. Available online at https://littletreedesignbiotopes.es/blogs/noticias/biotopo-rio-kayan-betta-antuta-bulungan.
-
Rüber, L., Britz, R. & Zardoya, R. (2006). Molecular phylogenetics and evolutionary diversification of labyrinth fishes (Perciformes: Anabantoidei). — Syst. Biol. 55: 374-397. DOI:10.1080/10635150500541664.
-
Rüber, L., Britz, R., Tan, H.H., Ng, P.K.L. & Zardoya, R. (2004). Evolution of mouthbrooding and life-history correlates in the fighting fish genus Betta. — Evolution 58: 799-813. DOI:10.1111/j.0014-3820.2004.tb00413.x.
-
Schmidt, J. (2020). Schwimmende Smaragde — Betta smaragdina Ladiges, 1972. — Der Makropode 42: 144-149.
-
Schuster, S. (2025). A critical view on five rules of how behavioural experiments could be run. — J. Fish Biol. 107: 1089-1092. DOI:10.1111/jfb.15946.
-
Seriously Fish (2025). B. unimaculata (Popta, 1905). — Seriously Fish. Available online at https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/betta-unimaculata.
-
South, J., Cadley, E., Liptrot, P., Valen, F.S., Syarif, A.F., Budi, D.S., Tan, H.H. & Hasan, V. (2025). Early stakeholder cohesion in wild-capture freshwater ornamental fisheries can support conservation outcomes. — J. Fish Biol. 107: 1475-1480. DOI:10.1111/jfb.70154.
-
Srikulnath, K., Singchat, W., Laopichienpong, N., Ahmad, S.F., Jehangir, M., Subpayakom, N., Suntronpong, A., Jangtarwan, K., Pongsanarm, T., Panthum, T., Ariyaraphong, N., Camcuan, J., Duengkae, P., Dokkaew, S. & Muangmai, N. (2021). Overview of the Betta fish genome regarding species radiation, parental care, behavioral aggression, and pigmentation model relevant to humans. — Genes Genomics 43: 91-104. DOI:10.1007/s13258-020-01027-2.
-
Van Wassenbergh, S., Joris, I., Desclée, M., Liew, H.J., De Boeck, G., Adriaens, D. & Aerts, P. (2016). Kinematics of mouthbrooding in Oreochromis niloticus (Cichlidae). — J. Exp. Biol. 219: 1535-1541. DOI:10.1242/jeb.131631.
-
Vierke, J. (1991). Brutpflegestrategien bei Belontiiden (Pisces, Anabantoidei). — Bonn. Zool. Beitr. 42: 299-324.
-
Vohland, K., Land-Zandstra, A., Ceccaroni, L., Lemmens, R., Perelló, J., Ponti, M., Samson, R. & Wagenknecht, K. (eds) (2021). The science of citizen science. — Springer, Cham.
-
Waspodo, R.S.B. & Sahana, M.I. (2019). River water quality modelling in Barito watershed. — IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci. 399: 012018.
-
Weller, H.I., López-Fernández, H., McMahan, C.D. & Brainerd, E.L. (2022). Relaxed feeding constraints facilitate the evolution of mouthbrooding in Neotropical cichlids. — Am. Nat. 199: E197-E210. DOI:10.1086/719235.
-
Zellmer, H. (2010). Betta sp. “antuta” Bulungan, 30/12/2010. — Internationale Gemeinschaft für Labyrinthfische e.V., Duisburg. Available online at https://www.igl-home.de/community/postid/25267/.
-
Zellmer, H. (2015). Neues von Betta sp. “Antuta”, 01/02/2015. — Internationale Gemeinschaft für Labyrinthfische e.V., Duisburg. Available online at https://www.igl-home.de/community/postid/38058/.
-
Zhang, K., Ye, Z., Qi, M., Cai, W., Saraiva, J.L., Wen, Y., Liu, G., Zhu, Z., Zhu, S. & Zhao, J. (2025). Water quality impact on fish behavior: a review from an aquaculture perspective. — Rev. Aquacult. 17: e12985. DOI:10.1111/raq.12985.
-
Zubaidah, T., Hamzani, S. & Arifin, A. (2024). Analyzing the impact of dissolved organic components on river water quality and its implications for human health: a case study from Banjar District. — J. Kesehat. Lingkung. 16: 181-189. DOI:10.20473/jkl.v16i2.2024.181-189.
-
Zworykin, D.D. (2017). Phylogenesis of reproductive strategies in labyrinth fishes (Anabantoidei) and their sister groups. — Biol. Bull. Rev. 7: 428-441. DOI:10.1134/S2079086417050085.
-
Zworykin, D.D. (2020). Parental care in the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus): confusion or lost data? — Moscow Univ. Biol. Sci. Bull. 75: 237-241. DOI:10.3103/S0096392520040148.
Supplementary Materials
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 305 | 305 | 14 |
| Full Text Views | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 12 | 12 | 0 |
Biparental mouthbrooding in Betta sp. Antuta (Anabantoidei, Osphronemidae)
In: BehaviourSearch for other papers by Dmitry D. Zworykin in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Elena Kuznetsova in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
We report anecdotal evidence of biparental mouthbrooding in the osphronemid fish Betta sp. Antuta. Contrary to the prevailing assumption that mouthbrooding in the genus Betta is strictly uniparental and male-driven, we observed repeated instances of female involvement in egg collection and incubation, including one case in which the female alone incubated the brood until fry release. This observation calls for a reconsideration of existing conceptual frameworks of parental care in osphronemids, drawing attention to the plasticity of reproductive strategies and the diversity of tactics, while also highlighting the value of data generated through the aquarium hobby as a form of citizen science.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 305 | 305 | 14 |
| Full Text Views | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 12 | 12 | 0 |
