Endemic to Sri Lanka with type locality ‘shaded pools of mountain streams at Akuressa, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, elevation 500 meters’.

It’s known from at least five localities, all of which are located in restricted to Sri Lanka’s ‘wet zone’ in the southwest of the island, with records exis…

These are still regarded as valid by some authorities although it’s widely accepted that they represent variants of R. vaterifloris due to a lack of type material hindering conclusive study. Rasboroides nigromarginata (Meinken, 1956) has also been used to refer to a reddish form in which males differ from other populations in possessing dark fin margins, but the name is currently considered synonymous with R. vaterifloris by most sources despite the fish being rediscovered in 2010.

Endemic to southwestern Sri Lanka where it appears restricted to the so-called ‘wet zone’ (see ‘Habitat’).

Confirmed localities are all within the Bentota and Kelani river systems and Kottawa Forest Reserve in Galle district, Southern Province.

Type locality is given simply as ‘Habitat in India orientale’ and this appears to have caused confusion regarding the species’ distribution with it of…

This species is also referred to as ‘Kretser’s paradisefish’ and ‘spotted gourami’.

There exist three colour forms, two of which exhibit a greater degree of reddish or violet pigmentation in the fins, respectively. The third is more bluish and was described as M. kretseri minor by Deraniyagala (1958).

This species is also traded/referred to by the vernacular name 'Ceylon fighting fish'. It differs from its only congener, B. hasselti, by its overall reddish (vs. brownish-grey) body colouration, and absence (vs. presence) of a mosaic-like patterning in the unpaired fins.

At least three putative phenotypes have been recorded. The nominative, and commonest, mostly inhabits clear streams in rainier zones…