Morphological Variation of Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792) in Central Kalimantan: Insights into Habitat-Driven Adaptations
Abstract
Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792) is a native freshwater species from Central Kalimantan with high adaptability. This study examines morphological variations based on 25 morphometric and 14 meristic characters, as well as body colour patterns and markings, using 150 samples collected from ten locations across four districts and one city in Central Kalimantan. Morphometric data were standardised and analysed using PCA and Kruskal-Wallis tests to identify the most influential characters in forming fish group clusters. Meristic characters were evaluated descriptively through tabulations of fin and scale count variations in each group. The results revealed three main clusters formed based on the most influential morphometric characters: Mouth to Pectoral Fin Base Distance (H), Anal Fin to Caudal Fin Base Distance (L), Anal Fin Height (V), and Body Width (Y). Meristic analysis showed only one character with similarity across groups, while 13 other characters showed significant differences among fish groups. Regarding colour patterns, ten colour variations were found, showing a tendency for dark colour dominance and five unique body markings. These findings confirm phenotypic adaptations to diverse aquatic habitats, including peat swamps and river ecosystems. This study contributes to the understanding of phenotypic plasticity as a response to environmental differences in A. testudineus and provides a basis for future conservation strategies. Further research is needed to confirm the genetic relationships of the observed fish variations.
References
Abdelnour, S.A. et al., 2024. Environmental epigenetics: Exploring phenotypic plasticity and transgenerational adaptation in fish. Environmental Research, 252, 118799. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118799
Adedeji, H. A. et al., 2024. Comparative Analysis of Morphometric and Meristic Characters in Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758), Nile Tilapia across Diverse Ecological Zones in Nigeria. Asian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Research, 26(7), pp.80–90. doi: 10.9734/ajfar/2024/v26i7785.
Ahmadi, 2019. Morphometric characteristic and growth patterns of climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) from sungai batang river, Indonesia. International Journal of Hydrology, 3(4), pp.270-277. doi: 10.15406/ijh.2019.03.00189
Akbar, H., 2008. Studi Karakter Morfometrik-Meristik Ikan Betok (Anabas testudineus Bloch) di DAS Mahakam Tengah Propinsi Kalimantan Timur. Institut Pertanian Bogor.
Armbruster, J.W., 2024. A new genus for the Blackfin Sucker, Thoburnia atripinnis (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae). Zootaxa, 5536(2), pp.325–335. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5536.2.8
Blakeslee, C. et al., 2009. The effect of body coloration and group size on social partner preferences in female fighting fish (Betta splendens). Behavioural Processes, 80(2), pp.157–161. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2008.11.005
Bungas, K., 2014. Keragaman Fenotip Ikan Betok (Anabas testudineus Bloch) di Perairan Rawa Gambut. Jurnal Ilmu Hewani Tropika, 3(1), pp.33-38.
Caro, T. & Ruxton, G., 2019. Aposematism: Unpacking the Defences. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 34(7), pp.595–604. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.02.015
Chukwuka, A.V. & Adeogun, A.O., 2024. Habitat-driven otolith shape morphology in Oreochromis niloticus (pelagic) and Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (benthic) from distinct zones of a tropical coastal lagoon syste. Regional Studies in Marine Science, 78, 103760. doi: 10.1016/j.rsma.2024.103760
Dasuki, A. et al., 2023. Distinguishing Hybrids of Golden Thailand and Malaysian Strains of Climbing Perch, Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792), Using Multivariate Analyses of Morpho-Meristic Traits. Asian Fisheries Science, 36(3), pp.171–181. doi: 10.33997/j.afs.2023.36.3.006.
Diamond, K.M. et al., 2021. Interactions among multiple selective pressures on the form–function relationship in insular stream fishes. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 134(3), pp.557–567. doi: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab098
Endler, J.A., 1984. Natural and sexual selection on color patterns in poeciliid fishes. In Evolutionary ecology of neotropical freshwater fishes. Dodrecht: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-94-015-7682-6_7
Eschmeyer, W.N., Laan, R.V.D. & Fricke, R., 2024, ‘Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes, California Academy of Science’, in California Academy of Sciences, viewed 15 November 2024, from http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp
Fark, S.N. et al., 2022. Multispecies colour polymorphisms associated with contrasting microhabitats in two Mediterranean wrasse radiations. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 35(4), pp.633–647. doi: 10.1111/jeb.13999
Fera, N. et al., 2022. Buku Pintar Dinas Kelautan dan Perikanan Provinsi Kalimantan Tengah 2022, Pemprov Kalimantan Tengah: Dinas Kelautan dan Perikanan.
Froese, R. & D. Pauly, 2024, ‘The Global Database of Fishes FishBase, Wide Web electronic publication’, in FishBase, viewed 25 November 2024, from https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Anabas-testudineus.html
Glover, K.A. et al., 2017. Half a century of genetic interaction between farmed and wild Atlantic salmon: Status of knowledge and unanswered questions. Fish and Fisheries, 18(5), pp.890–927. doi: 10.1111/faf.12214.
Halpin, C.G. & Rowe, C., 2019. Aposematism as a Defence Against Predation. In Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior. Elsevier, pp.182–190. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-809633-8.20858-3.
Hamasaki, K., Takahashi, Y. & Dan, S., 2022. Body colourations affect predation risk from fish in fiddler crabs. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 557, 151818. doi: 10.1016/j.jembe.2022.151818.
Hanafie, A. et al., 2023. Study of Growth And Survival of Climbing Perch (Anabas Testudineus Bloch) With Different Sex Ratio In Biofloc System. Russian Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences, 134(2), pp.185–201. doi:10.18551/rjoas.2023-02.22.
Hancox, D., Wilson, R.S. & White, C.R., 2013. Visual habitat geometry predicts relative morph abundance in the colour-polymorphic ornate rainbowfish. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 280(1752), 20122377. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2377
Haryono et al., 2017. Karakterisitk Morfologi dan Habitat Ikan Brek (Barbonymus balleroides Val. 1842) di Sungai Serayu Jawa Tengah. Jurnal Biologi Indonesia, 13(2), pp.223–232. doi: 10.47349/jbi/13022017/223.
Hart, J.C. et al., 2018. Convergent evolution of gene expression in two high-toothed stickleback populations. PLOS Genetics, 14(6), e1007443. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007443
Hossen, M. B. et al., 2017. Morphometric and Meristic Variation of Indigenous and Thai Koi, Anabas testudineus Available in Coastal Region of Bangladesh. International Journal of Innovative Research, 2(1), pp.01-08.
Hughes, G.M. & Singh, B.N., 1970. Respiration in An Air-Breathing Fish, the Climbing Perch, Anabas Testudineus. Journal of Experimental Biology, 53(2), pp.281–298. doi: 10.1242/jeb.53.2.281.
ITIS., 2024. ‘Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792)’, in Integrated Taxonomic Information System, viewed 3 Desember 2024 from https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=172585#null
IUCN., 2019. Anabas testudineus (errata version published in 2020). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T166543A174787197. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019- 3.RLTS.T166543A174787197.en
John, L. et al., 2021. Body coloration as a dynamic signal during intrasexual communication in a cichlid fish. BMC Zoology, 6(1), 9. doi: 10.1186/s40850-021-00075-9
Kissinger, Pitri, R.M.N. & Nasrulloh, A.V., 2022. Implementation of Plant Selection Based-On Plant Growth on Revegetation of Peatland in South Kalimantan. International Journal of Environment, Agriculture and Biotechnology, 7(2), pp.137-142. doi: 10.22161/ijeab.72.15
Kumaladewi, P. et al., 2022. Morphometric and Meristic Analysis of Rasbora in East Java Province. Journal of Aquaculture and Fish Health, 11(3), 298–305. doi: 10.20473/jafh.v11i3.30956
Laan, R.V.D., Eschmeyer, W.N. & Fricke, R., 2014. Family-group names of recent fishes. Zootaxa, 3882(1), pp.1–230. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1.
Larsen, P.F. et al., 2011. Gene expression analysis for the identification of selection and local adaptation in fishes. Journal of Fish Biology, 78(1), pp.1–22. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2010.02834.x.
Lawson, L.P. et al., 2023. Diversification of spiny-throated reed frogs (Anura: Hyperoliidae) with the description of a new, range-restricted species from the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania. PLoS ONE, 18(2), e0277535. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277535.
Lehtonen, T.K., Candolin, U. & Wong, B.B.M., 2023. Environmental variation promotes colour morph-specific behavioural differences in a cichlid fish. Animal Behaviour, 197, pp.123–130. doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.01.005.
Li, P. et al., 2024. Terrestrial locomotion characteristics of climbing perch ( Anabas testudineus ). Journal of Experimental Biology, 227(11), jeb247238. doi: 10.1242/jeb.247238.
Lin, J.E. et al., 2017. Modeling local adaptation and gene flow in sockeye salmon. Ecosphere, 8(12), e02039. doi: 10.1002/ecs2.2039
Manon, M.R.K. et al., 2023. Intraspecific phenotypic differences in climbing perch Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792) populations may be linked to habitat adaptations. Heliyon, 9(7), e17685. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17685.
Maimunah et al., 2020. Analisis Karakteristik Morfometri DAS Maluka Menggunakan Citra Satelit Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Jurnal Geografika (Geografi Lingkungan Lahan Basah), 1(1), pp.12-19. doi: 10.20527/jgp.v1i1.2293
Makvandi‐Nejad, S. & Moghadam, H., 2023. Genetics and Epigenetics in Aquaculture Breeding. In Epigenetics in Aquaculture. Wiley, pp.439–449. doi: 10.1002/9781119821946.ch19
Mappes, J., Marples, N. & Endler, J., 2005. The complex business of survival by aposematism. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 20(11), pp.598–603. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2005.07.011.
Mawa, Z. et al., 2021. Estimation of Relative Growth of Anabas testudineus through multiple linear dimensions. Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, 25(1), pp.935-952. doi: 10.21608/ejabf.2021.153232
Montaña, C.G. et al., 2020. Functional and trophic diversity of fishes in the Mekong-3S river system: comparison of morphological and isotopic patterns. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 103(2), pp.185–200. doi: 10.1007/s10641-020-00947-y.
Ndobe, S. et al., 2019. Meristic characters and length-weight relation of climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) from wetlands in Sigi District, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 370, 012001. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/370/1/012001.
Nuralam, E. & Luthfi, M.J., 2019. ‘The Anatomy of Respiratory Organ of Climbing Perch (Anabas testudineus)’, viewed 20 November 2024, from https://ejournal.uin-suka.ac.id/saintek/icse/article/view/2566
Parvez, I. et al., 2020. Genetic variation of native and introduced climbing perch Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792) derived from mitochondrial DNA analyses. Ecological Genetics and Genomics, 17, 100067. doi: 10.1016/j.egg.2020.100067.
Pavlov, E.D. et al., 2020. Effect of Urea and Thiourea on Migration Activity of Climbing Perch Anabas testudineus. Journal of Ichthyology, 60(6), pp.885–890. Doi: 10.1134/S0032945220060053.
Peroš, M. et al., 2025. Male bluegill vary in color and behavior relative to their position in a lek. Frontiers in Ethology, 3, 1513231. doi: 10.3389/fetho.2024.1513231
Ponomareva, V.Y., Pavlov, D.S. & Kostin, V.V., 2017. Development and application of methods for investigating the ratio of rheoreaction types of fish in a circular tank. Inland Water Biology, 10(1), pp.103–111. doi: 10.1134/S1995082917010151
Rodriguez‐Silva, R. et al., 2023. Color polymorphism in the Cuban endemic livebearing fish Limia vittata (Teloestei, Poeciliidae): Potential roles of sexual and natural selection. Ecology and Evolution, 13(1), e9768. doi: 10.1002/ece3.9768
Rowe, C. & Halpin, C., 2013. Why are warning displays multimodal?. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 67(9), pp.1425–1439. doi: 10.1007/s00265-013-1515-8.
Roy, S. et al., 2023. Transgenerational Phenotypic Plasticity in Fishes. In Biotechnological Tools in Fisheries and Aquatic Health Management. Springer Nature Singapore, pp.59–75. doi: 10.1007/978-981-99-2981-8_4
Samoilov, K.Y. & Tran, D.D., 2022. Morphological Plasticity and Biological Patterns of the Climbing Perch Anabas testudineus from Different Types of Water Bodies in Khánh Hòa Province, Vietnam. Inland Water Biology, 15(3), pp.217–226. doi: 10.1134/S1995082922020109
Septya, L. & Wanto, W.A., 2024. An Inventory and Analysis of Conservation Status of Freshwater Fish Species in Palangka Raya City Traditional Markets. Jurnal Biologi Tropis, 24(2), pp.623–629. doi: 10.29303/jbt.v24i2.6930.
Shuai, F. et al., 2018. Habitat effects on intra-species variation in functional morphology: Evidence from freshwater fish. Ecology and Evolution, 8(22), pp.10902–10913. doi: 10.1002/ece3.4555
Slamat, S. et al., 2019. The Breeding of Climbing Perch (Anabas Testudineus) With Meristic Phylogenetic Hybridization Technique Sampled From Three Types of Swamp Ecosystems. Tropical Wetland Journal, 5(2), pp.31–39. doi: 10.20527/twj.v5i2.72.
Smith, M., 2020. Evolution. In Gene Environment Interactions. Academic Press, pp.55–78. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-819613-7.00003-7.
Srinu, G., Padmavathi, P. & Chatla, D., 2019. Identification and Validation of Anabas spp. (Osteichthyes: Anabantidae) Through Morphology and DNA Barcoding From Lake Kolleru, Andhra Pradesh, India. Journal of Coastal Research, 86(sp1), pp.142-148. doi: 10.2112/SI86-022.1.
Stevens, M. & Ruxton, G.D., 2019. The key role of behaviour in animal camouflage. Biological Reviews, 94(1), pp.116–134. doi: 10.1111/brv.12438.
Sun, L. et al., 2023. Relation between fish morphological differentiation and pressure drag difference. Ecological Indicators, 156, 111071. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.111071.
Svanbäck, R., 2004. Ecology and Evolution of Adaptive Morphological Variation in Fish Populations. Umeå University.
Tuset, V.M. et al., 2018. Morpho-functional diversity in Diaphus spp. (Pisces: Myctophidae) from the central Atlantic Ocean: Ecological and evolutionary implications. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 138, pp.46–59. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr.2018.07.005.
Umeton, D., Read, J.C.A. & Rowe, C., 2017. Unravelling the illusion of flicker fusion. Biology Letters, 13(2), 20160831. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0831.
Urbina, M.A., Forster, M.E. & Glover, C.N., 2011. Leap of faith: Voluntary emersion behaviour and physiological adaptations to aerial exposure in a non-aestivating freshwater fish in response to aquatic hypoxia. Physiology & Behavior, 103(2), pp.240–247. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.02.009.
Waltham, N.J. et al., 2023. New Australian frontier in freshwater fish invasion via Torres Strait Islands. Biodiversity and Conservation, 32(14), pp.4551–4571. doi: 10.1007/s10531-023-02716-6
Yanti, E.V., 2023. Dinamika Musiman Kualitas Air di Daerah Aliran Sungai Kahayan Kalimantan Tengah. ZIRA’AH, 42(2), pp.107-118.
