Initial Data on Morphological Traits and Food and Feeding Habits of Kissing Gourami Helostoma temminckii from Tra Su, An Giang Province, Vietnam
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study was conducted in the Tra Su area (An Giang Province) to contribute information on the morphological traits and feeding habits of Helostoma temminckii, a commercially valuable fish species with limited existing data in the region. External morphological analysis of 20 specimens showed a mean total length of 124.4 ± 2.3 SE mm and an average body weight of 38.97 ± 2.54 SE g. Morphometric indices such as standard length, eye diameter, interorbital distance, body depth, head length, and mouth width exhibited minimal variation among individuals. Fin structure analysis indicated relatively stable ray counts: caudal fin (12 – 15 rays), pelvic fin (6 rays), dorsal fin (17 spines; 13 – 18 soft rays), anal fin (13 – 16 spines; 16 – 20 soft rays), and pectoral fin (11 – 13 rays). The allometric growth coefficient (b) calculated from the length-weight relationship was 3.25 (> 3), indicating positive allometric growth with a greater tendency toward weight gain. Digestive tract structure, a relative gut length (RGL) > 3, and gut content analysis (including Bacillariophyta, Chlorophyta, Euglenophyta, Cyanophyta, and zooplankton) confirmed that Helostoma temminckii is a filter-feeding species. The results of this study provide essential baseline data for taxonomy, artificial propagation, and future aquaculture development of this species in the study region.
Keywords:
Diet composition, filter-feeding fish, feeding habit, Helostoma temminckii, morphology.
References
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https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-016-0553-4.
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https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-015-0381-9.
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[18] Z. Adámek, J. Andreji, J. M. Gallardo, Food Habits of Four Bottom-Dwelling Gobiid Species at the Confluence of the Danube and Hron Rivers (South Slovakia), International Review of Hydrobiology, Vol. 92, No. 4-5, 2007, pp. 554-563, https://doi.org/10.1002/iroh.200510998.
[19] R. A. Helmizuryani, Z. Suwignyo, M. Hanafiah, Faizal, Food Preference, Growth Pattern, Condition and Reproduction Factors of Kissing Gourami, Helostoma temminckii in the Peat Swamps of South Sumatra, Indonesia, AACL Bioflux, Vol. 14, No. 4, 2021, pp. 2583-2600, http://www.bioflux.com.ro/docs/2021.2583-2600.pdf.
[20] A. Ahmadi, Length-Weight Relationship and Relative Condition Factor of the Kissing Gourami (Helostoma temminckii) from Sungai Batang River, Indonesia, Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology, Vol. 43, No. 1, 2021, pp. 210-217, https://doi.org/10.14456/sjst-psu.2021.27.
[21] G.V. Nikolsky, Ecology of fishes, London, United Kingdom, Academic Press, 1963.
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[23] I. Wikramaratne, U. Amarasinghe, Food and Feeding Habits of Helostoma temmincki (Osteichthyes, Anabantidae), an Introduced Species, in a Freshwater Marsh in the Wet Zone of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Journal of Aquatic Sciences, Vol. 6, 2001, pp. 75-84.
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[25] C. T. Tran, T. H. D. Nguyen, H. T. T. Nguyen, Q. M. Dinh, Digestive Tract Morphology and Clark’s Index of the Goby Glossogobius sparsipapillus Distributed in Some Estuarine and Coastal Areas of Bac Lieu and Ca Mau Provinces, Vietnam, Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Vol. 19, 2021, pp. 535-543 (in Vietnamese).
[26] A. T. M. Nguyen, T. H. D. Nguyen, Q. M. Dinh, Morphological Characteristics of the Digestive Tract and Clark’s Index of the Flat-Tailed Mullet Ellochelon vaigiensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) in Some Estuarine and Coastal Areas of the Mekong Delta, VNU Journal of Science: Natural Sciences and Technology, Vol. 38, No. 3, 2022, pp. 97-103,
https://doi.org/10.25073/2588-1140/vnunst.5456 (in Vietnamese).
[27] Q. M. Dinh, D. T. Nguyen, S. Danh, Feeding Habit and Diet Spectrum of the Goby Eleotris melanosoma in the Coastal Area of Soc Trang Province, Proceedings of the 7th National Scientific Conference on Ecology and Biological Resources, Science and Technology Publishing House, 2017, pp. 1873-1879 (in Vietnamese).
[28] L. T. Tran, H. D. Hoang, Q. M. Dinh, Digestive Tract Morphology, Feeding Habit and Diet Spectrum of the Mudskipper Periophthalmodon schlosseri (Pallas, 1770) Distributed in the Coastal Area of Tran De, Soc Trang, VNU Journal of Science: Natural Sciences and Technology, Vol. 35, 2019, pp. 30-38,
https://doi.org/10.25073/2588-1140/vnunst.4871 (in Vietnamese).
[29] A. K. Ray, E. Ringø, The Gastrointestinal Tract of Fish, Aquaculture Nutrition: Gut Health, Probiotics and Prebiotics, 2014, pp. 1-13.
[30] R. K. Buddington, V. Kuz'mina, Digestive System The Laboratory Fish, Elsevier, 2000, pp. 379-384.
[31] Q. M. Dinh, Y. T. N. Nguyen, T. T. H. Lam,
G. H. Phan, Digestive Tract Morphology and Clark’s Condition Factor of the Goby Butis koilomatodon Distributed in Some Estuarine and Coastal Areas of Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau provinces, VNU Journal of Science: Natural Sciences and Technology, Vol. 36, 2020, pp. 61-69, https://doi.org/10.25073/2588-1140/vnunst.5051 (in Vietnamese).
[32] S. Senarat, P. Poolprasert, J. Kettratad, P. Boonyoung, W. Jiraungkoorskul, S. Q. Huang, T. Pengsakul, P. Kosiyachinda, C. Sudtongkong, Histological Observation of Digestive System of Malayan Halfbeak, Dermogenys pusilla (Kuhl & van Hasselt, 1823) During Juvenile Stage from Thailand, Veterinary Integrative Sciences,
Vol. 18, No. 1, 2020, pp. 33-41, https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/vis/article/view/236237.
[33] Q. M. Dinh, N. T. Truong, T. H. D. Nguyen, T. T. H. Lam, T. T. K. Nguyen, D. Q. Le, S. K. Das, Feeding Ecology of Ellochelon vaigiensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) Living in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 12, No. 9, 2022, pp. e9352, https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9352.
[2] An Giang Provincial Statistics Office, Socio-Economic Situation of An Giang Province for the Whole Year 2024, An Giang Provincial Statistics Office,
http://thongkeangiang.gov.vn/baiviet/7226/, 2025, accessed: May 28th, 2025 (in Vietnamese).
[3] R. Arai, Fish Karyotypes: A Check List, Springer Tokyo, Japan, 2011.
[4] W. J. Rainboth, Fishes of the Cambodian Mekong, FAO, Roma, 1996.
[5] F. C. Lima, D. R. Olarte, C. A. G. Alzate, A Tale of False Origins: Hyphessobrycon scholzei Ahl, 1937 and Its Junior Synonym, Hyphessobrycon fernandezi Fernández-Yépez, 1972 (Teleostei: Characifomes: Acestrorhamphidae), Zootaxa, Vol. 5594, No. 1, 2025, pp. 050-060, https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5594.1.2.
[6] D. D. Tran, S. Koichi, P. T. Nguyen, H. P. Ha, L. X. Tran, H. V. Mai, U. Kenzo, Identification and Description of Fishes of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, Can Tho University Press, Can Tho, 2013 (in Vietnamese).
[7] W. E. Ricker, Linear Regressions in Fishery Research, Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Vol. 30, No. 3, 1973, pp. 409-434, https://doi.org/10.1139/f73-072.
[8] R. Froese, Cube Law, Condition Factor and Weight-Length Relationships: History, Meta-Analysis and Recommendations, Journal of Applied Ichthyology, Vol. 22, No. 4, 2006,
pp. 241-253, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0426.2006.00805.x.
[9] A. H. A. Hussaini, On the Functional Morphology of the Alimentary Tract of Some Fish in Relation to Differences in Their Feeding Habits: Anatomy and Histology, Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science, Vol. 3, No. 10, 1949, pp. 109-139, https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.s3-90.10.109.
[10] H. B. N. Hynes, The Food of Fresh-Water Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus and Pygosteus pungitius), with a Review of Methods Used in Studies of the Food of Fishes, The Journal of Animal Ecology, Vol. 19, No. 1, 1950, pp. 36-58, https://doi.org/110.2307/1570.
[11] E. J. Hyslop, Stomach Contents Analysis - A Review of Methods and Their Application, Journal of Fish Biology, Vol. 17, No. 4, 1980, pp. 411-429, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1980.tb02775.x.
[12] G. W. Baeck, Y. H. Yoon, J. M. Park, Ontogenetic and Diel Changes in Diets of Two Sympatric Mudskippers Periophthalmus modestus and Periophthalmus magnuspinnatus on the Tidal Flats of Suncheon Bay, Korea, Fisheries Science, Vol. 79, 2013, pp. 629-637, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-013-0633-6.
[13] Q. M. Dinh, J. G. Qin, S. Dittmann, D. D. Tran, Seasonal Variation of Food and Feeding in Burrowing Goby Parapocryptes serperaster (Gobiidae) at Different Body Sizes, Ichthyological Research, Vol. 64, 2017, pp. 179-189,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-016-0553-4.
[14] J. R. S. Vitule, M. R. Braga, J. M. R. Aranha, Ontogenetic, Spatial and Temporal Variations in the Feeding Ecology of Deuterodon langei Travassos, 1957 (Teleostei: Characidae) in a Neotropical Stream From the Atlantic Rainforest, Southern Brazil, Neotropical Ichthyology, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2008, pp. 211-222.
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1679-62252008000200008.
[15] C. Alcaraz, Z. Gholami, H. Esmaeili, E. G. Berthou, Herbivory and Seasonal Changes in Diet of a Highly Endemic Cyprinodontid Fish (Aphanius farsicus), Environmental Biology of Fishes, Vol. 98, 2015, pp. 1541-1554,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-015-0381-9.
[16] A. V. Natarajan, A. G. Jhingran, Index of Preponderance-A Method of Grading the Food Elements in the Stomach Analysis of Fishes, Indian Journal of Fisheries, Vol. 8, 1961, pp. 54-59.
[17] P. A. Amundsen, H. M. Gabler, F. J. Staldvik, A New Approach to Graphical Analysis of Feeding Strategy from Stomach Contents Data-Modification of the Costello (1990) Method, Journal of Fish Biology, Vol. 48, No. 4, 1996,
pp. 607-614, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1996.tb01455.x.
[18] Z. Adámek, J. Andreji, J. M. Gallardo, Food Habits of Four Bottom-Dwelling Gobiid Species at the Confluence of the Danube and Hron Rivers (South Slovakia), International Review of Hydrobiology, Vol. 92, No. 4-5, 2007, pp. 554-563, https://doi.org/10.1002/iroh.200510998.
[19] R. A. Helmizuryani, Z. Suwignyo, M. Hanafiah, Faizal, Food Preference, Growth Pattern, Condition and Reproduction Factors of Kissing Gourami, Helostoma temminckii in the Peat Swamps of South Sumatra, Indonesia, AACL Bioflux, Vol. 14, No. 4, 2021, pp. 2583-2600, http://www.bioflux.com.ro/docs/2021.2583-2600.pdf.
[20] A. Ahmadi, Length-Weight Relationship and Relative Condition Factor of the Kissing Gourami (Helostoma temminckii) from Sungai Batang River, Indonesia, Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology, Vol. 43, No. 1, 2021, pp. 210-217, https://doi.org/10.14456/sjst-psu.2021.27.
[21] G.V. Nikolsky, Ecology of fishes, London, United Kingdom, Academic Press, 1963.
[22] L. B. Nguyen, Ichthyology I (Textbook), Can Tho University, Can Tho, 2003 (in Vietnamese).
[23] I. Wikramaratne, U. Amarasinghe, Food and Feeding Habits of Helostoma temmincki (Osteichthyes, Anabantidae), an Introduced Species, in a Freshwater Marsh in the Wet Zone of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Journal of Aquatic Sciences, Vol. 6, 2001, pp. 75-84.
[24] Q. M. Dinh, M. T. D. Tran, Morphology of the Digestive Tract, Feeding Habit and Diet Spectrum of the Goby Stigmatogobius pleurostigma (Bleeker, 1849) Distributed in the Coastal Area of Soc Trang, VNU Journal of Science: Natural Sciences and Technology, Vol. 34, No. 2, 2018, pp. 46-55.
[25] C. T. Tran, T. H. D. Nguyen, H. T. T. Nguyen, Q. M. Dinh, Digestive Tract Morphology and Clark’s Index of the Goby Glossogobius sparsipapillus Distributed in Some Estuarine and Coastal Areas of Bac Lieu and Ca Mau Provinces, Vietnam, Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Vol. 19, 2021, pp. 535-543 (in Vietnamese).
[26] A. T. M. Nguyen, T. H. D. Nguyen, Q. M. Dinh, Morphological Characteristics of the Digestive Tract and Clark’s Index of the Flat-Tailed Mullet Ellochelon vaigiensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) in Some Estuarine and Coastal Areas of the Mekong Delta, VNU Journal of Science: Natural Sciences and Technology, Vol. 38, No. 3, 2022, pp. 97-103,
https://doi.org/10.25073/2588-1140/vnunst.5456 (in Vietnamese).
[27] Q. M. Dinh, D. T. Nguyen, S. Danh, Feeding Habit and Diet Spectrum of the Goby Eleotris melanosoma in the Coastal Area of Soc Trang Province, Proceedings of the 7th National Scientific Conference on Ecology and Biological Resources, Science and Technology Publishing House, 2017, pp. 1873-1879 (in Vietnamese).
[28] L. T. Tran, H. D. Hoang, Q. M. Dinh, Digestive Tract Morphology, Feeding Habit and Diet Spectrum of the Mudskipper Periophthalmodon schlosseri (Pallas, 1770) Distributed in the Coastal Area of Tran De, Soc Trang, VNU Journal of Science: Natural Sciences and Technology, Vol. 35, 2019, pp. 30-38,
https://doi.org/10.25073/2588-1140/vnunst.4871 (in Vietnamese).
[29] A. K. Ray, E. Ringø, The Gastrointestinal Tract of Fish, Aquaculture Nutrition: Gut Health, Probiotics and Prebiotics, 2014, pp. 1-13.
[30] R. K. Buddington, V. Kuz'mina, Digestive System The Laboratory Fish, Elsevier, 2000, pp. 379-384.
[31] Q. M. Dinh, Y. T. N. Nguyen, T. T. H. Lam,
G. H. Phan, Digestive Tract Morphology and Clark’s Condition Factor of the Goby Butis koilomatodon Distributed in Some Estuarine and Coastal Areas of Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau provinces, VNU Journal of Science: Natural Sciences and Technology, Vol. 36, 2020, pp. 61-69, https://doi.org/10.25073/2588-1140/vnunst.5051 (in Vietnamese).
[32] S. Senarat, P. Poolprasert, J. Kettratad, P. Boonyoung, W. Jiraungkoorskul, S. Q. Huang, T. Pengsakul, P. Kosiyachinda, C. Sudtongkong, Histological Observation of Digestive System of Malayan Halfbeak, Dermogenys pusilla (Kuhl & van Hasselt, 1823) During Juvenile Stage from Thailand, Veterinary Integrative Sciences,
Vol. 18, No. 1, 2020, pp. 33-41, https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/vis/article/view/236237.
[33] Q. M. Dinh, N. T. Truong, T. H. D. Nguyen, T. T. H. Lam, T. T. K. Nguyen, D. Q. Le, S. K. Das, Feeding Ecology of Ellochelon vaigiensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) Living in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 12, No. 9, 2022, pp. e9352, https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9352.