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Siamese fighting fish (B. splendens) | ||||||||||||
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Betta Bleeker , 1850, is a genus of freshwater fish in the gourami family ( Osphronemidae), found predominantly in Southeast Asia. The type species is the spotted betta (B. picta), but the best-known species is the Siamese fighting fish (B. splendens). Many Betta species are well-suited as aquariumAn aquarium is a clear-sided container (typically constructed of glass or high-strength plastic) in which water-dwelling plants and animals (usually fish) are kept in captivity. The term is also used of a public establishment that maintains a number of aq specimens.
Until recently, Betta was a member of the anabantid ( Anabantidae) family, and many older references continue to use that classification.
The term "betta" is used as a common name for species of the genus, but it often refers specifically to B. splendens. The first syllable of the name is formally pronounced as the word bet, not bait; even though the name has no connection to the GreekThe Greek language ( /Elini'k{/) is an Indo-European language which has existed from around the 14th century BC in the Cretan inscriptions called Linear B. Mycenaean Greek of this period is distinguished from later Classical or Ancient Greek of the 8th ce letter betaBeta can stand for: Β or β the 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet. See Beta (letter). Beta should not be confused with a similar-looking but unrelated letter in German language orthography, ss, which denotes a long "s" sound. The plant genus Beta, it is commonly pronounced as the Greek letter, to the consternation of purists.
The reason for the previous classification of Betta among the anabantids is its possession of the labyrinth organ characteristic of that family. This is located just behind the head and it is a small chamber with many folds covered in tissue with many blood vessels that allow it to breath atmospheric air.
This is useful in the oxygenOxygen is the chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol O and atomic number 8. The element is very common, found not only on Earth but throughout the universe. Molecular oxygen (O, often called free oxygen on Earth is thermodynamically un poor waters where Betta lives, and it is so dependant upon it that a Betta will die if it cannot reach the water surface to breathe.