DescriptionThe Asian Arowana has a long body; large pectoral fins; dorsal and anal fins located far back on the body; and a much larger caudal fin than that of its relative, the Silver arowana. Its scales are large and usually metallic colored, and it has paired barbels on the end of the lower jaw. It is a mouthbrooder. It is sometimes called Dragon Fish by fish enthusiasts because of its resemblance to the mythical Chinese dragon.
The Asian Arowana is native to the rivers of Southeast Asia and Indonesia. Four main color varieties occur naturally in the following locations:
Green, found in Vietnam, Burma, Thailand, and Malaysia
Gold Redtail, found in Indonesia
Gold Crossback, found in Malaysia
Red, found in Indonesia [1]
Each of these color varieties has variations among different localities. For instance, the Gold Crossback, which originated from the "Bukit Merah" river system in Perak, Malaysia, may have various base colours, including blue, gold, green, turquoise, and purple. Hobbyists consider the highest grade of the Gold Crossback to be the Full Gold Crossback (frameless gold), which originated from the "Sungai Gedong" river system.
The Super Red Arowana, a variety of Red Arowana, is regarded by many to be of greatest beauty because red is considered an auspicious color, according to some local cultures. This variety is indigenous to the Kalimantan River on the equatorial island of Borneo in Indonesia.
[edit]
Conservation status
The Asian Arowana is listed as endangered by the 2004 IUCN Red List. [2] International trade in these fishes is controlled under the CITES conventions, where it is listed on Appendix I, the most restrictive category. [3]
This species' wild stocks have been depleted largely due to its high value as an aquarium fish, particularly by people of Asian culture. Followers of Feng Shui may pay thousands of dollars for one of these animals. The species' large metallic scales and double barbels are features shared by the mythical Chinese dragon, a good luck symbol; some people believe the Asian Arowana is a reincarnation of the dragon. In addition, positive Feng Shui associations with water and the colors red and gold make these fishes popular for aquariums. One belief associated with Asian Arowanas is that a fish can preserve its owner from death by dying itself. [4] Another is that the fish can ward off evil spirits if kept in the home. [5]
Beginning in 1989, CITES began allowing Asian Arowanas to be traded, provided they were bred in captivity on a fish farm. Trade in wild-caught specimens is still prohibited. [6] The extent of illegal trade in Asian Arowanas is still unknown.
DNA fingerprinting has been used to assess the genetic diversity of a captive population at a Singapore fish farm in order to improve the management of this species [7].
Asian Arowana (Scleropages formosus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Osteoglossiformes
Family: Osteoglossidae
Subfamily: Osteoglossinae
Genus: Scleropages
Species: S. formosus
Binomial name
Scleropages formosus
( Schlegel & Müller ), 1844
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Reference
Scleropages formosus. FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. 2 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Arowana"
