Every species

The iridescent toothcarp, Paraphanius mento, occurs in eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries from Turkey and Israel to Iraq and Iran. Most aquarium fish come from Turkey's Mediterranean coast and the Ceyhan and Seyhan basins. One of the more ancient Aphanius, it has found greater popularity in the hobby than its relatives. Males are the most aggressive in the genus and will often fight to the death.

Parasphaerichthys lineatus is a tiny gourami from the Irrawaddy delta, Myanmar, and at 15 to 19 mm SL the smallest member of the family Osphronemidae. It is sometimes traded as 'mini chocolate gourami' or 'Burmese chocolate gourami', or misidentified as P. ocellatus, from which it differs in its dark mid-lateral stripe and the lack of an ocellus on each flank.

The eyespot gourami, Parasphaerichthys ocellatus, is a small anabantoid from the upper Ayeyarwady basin in northern Myanmar, including Lake Indawgyi. It shares the trade names 'mini chocolate gourami' and 'Burmese chocolate gourami' with P. lineatus, but grows larger, to 32 mm SL, and has an ocellus-type marking in the middle of each flank with no dark mid-lateral stripe. In nature it is subject to seasonal temperature fluctuations and is comfortable between 15 and 25 °C.

Paratilapia polleni is a large cichlid endemic to Madagascar, widespread on the island and known to many natives as 'marakely', meaning 'black fish'. Like most Madagascan cichlids it is highly endangered in the wild through habitat destruction and competition from introduced species. Large- and small-spotted forms exist whose identity is unconfirmed, and they should never be mixed in aquaria since they hybridise freely.

Paretroplus damii is a cichlid endemic to northwestern Madagascar, around Lake Pambilao. Moderately aggressive and growing to around 30 cm, it is best kept in groups with similarly sized cichlids of similar temperament. It digs, so plants need to be used with care.

The three striped African glass catfish, Pareutropius buffei, is a midwater, diurnal catfish from Nigeria, Niger, Benin, Mali and Guinea. It is very often sold as 'Debauwi catfish', but the closely related P. debauwi is seldom imported. P. buffei has three lateral stripes to that species' one, black spots in the caudal fin and a clear leading edge to the adipose fin, though young fish of the two are hard to tell apart.

Parosphromenus alfredi is a liquorice gourami endemic to a small part of eastern Johor, Peninsular Malaysia, around Kota Tinggi, Mawai and Desaru. A stenotypic inhabitant of peat swamp forests and blackwater streams, it has lost a great deal of its habitat and is considered in grave danger of extinction. It is most similar to P. phoenicurus, which has a rhombic caudal fin, and P. tweediei, which lacks blue markings in the unpaired fins.

Parosphromenus allani is a liquorice gourami from Sarawak in Borneo, East Malaysia, to which it appears endemic. Its type description was a hobbyist-magazine announcement with limited diagnostic information, and fish from around Lundu with a different fin pattern, known to aquarists as P. sp. 'Stunggang' or P. sp. 'Lundu', may or may not be the same species. Much of its habitat has been lost and it is considered in grave danger of extinction.

Parosphromenus anjunganensis is a liquorice gourami known only from a handful of localities near Anjungan in Kalimantan Barat, Indonesian Borneo. Males have uniformly reddish-brown dorsal, anal and caudal fins with a thin bluish to whitish margin. A stenotypic inhabitant of peat swamp forests and blackwater streams, it may be highly threatened, since some habitats in its range have been cleared and drained for agriculture.

Parosphromenus bintan is a liquorice gourami from Indonesia, confirmed only from Bintan Island in the Riau Archipelago and from Bangka. Similar-looking fish from Sumatra and Borneo may or may not be conspecific, and the name is sometimes misapplied to commercial shipments of other species. Males have a rounded caudal fin with concentric whitish, black, bluish and broad black or reddish-black bands.

Deissner's liquorice gourami, Parosphromenus deissneri, is endemic to the island of Bangka in Indonesia, mostly in its northern and eastern portions. For almost a century after its description in 1859 it was the only recognised member of the genus, so its name has been widely misapplied in aquarium and ichthyological literature, though it's probably always been very rare in the hobby. Males have pale subdistal bands of oval spots in the unpaired fins.

Parosphromenus harveyi is a liquorice gourami from the north Selangor peat swamp forest in Peninsular Malaysia, with one population in Perak. Its type description was a hobbyist-magazine announcement with limited diagnostic information. Males have plain blue pelvic fins with a filamentous tip longer than the fin itself and a notably wide black subdistal band in the caudal fin. Much of its habitat has been lost and it is considered in danger of extinction.

Parosphromenus linkei is a liquorice gourami from Central Kalimantan province in Indonesian Borneo, described from creeks near Sukamara. Said to be slightly easier to maintain than most congeners, it has been traded as 'moonspot licorice gourami'. Males have one to three black blotches in the midlateral stripe and a lanceolate caudal fin, and populations that differ in colour should be kept apart. It appears in danger of extinction.

Parosphromenus nagyi is a liquorice gourami known only from part of Peninsular Malaysia's eastern coast, between Cherating and Nenasi. Males have iridescent emerald green pelvic fins with a very short filamentous tip, and the light band in the caudal fin differs slightly between populations. Much of its habitat has been lost to deforestation, and in most places it now survives only in remnants such as irrigation ditches and roadside canals.

Parosphromenus opallios is a liquorice gourami endemic to Central Kalimantan province in Indonesian Borneo, in the Arut and Benipah river systems. It appeared in the trade on a handful of occasions as P. sp. 'Sukamara' before its description, and occurs alongside P. linkei at Sukamara. A stenotypic inhabitant of peat swamp forests and blackwater streams, it appears in danger of extinction.

Parosphromenus ornaticauda is a liquorice gourami from West Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, in the Kapuas drainage near Anjungan and the Pawan system. Sometimes sold as 'ornate licorice gourami', it has occasionally appeared in the trade in substantial quantities but is not easy to maintain and is often susceptible to disease post-import. Males are identified by their caudal-fin pattern and the large amount of black in the dorsal and anal fins.

Parosphromenus quindecim is a liquorice gourami known only from the Pawan and Liong river basins in West Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. Before description it was traded as P. sp. 'Manis Mata', though that name apparently refers to a place some 100 km from the type locality where the fish do not occur. Said to be slightly easier to maintain than most congeners, it occurs alongside P. ornaticauda at some localities.

Parosphromenus sp. 'Sentang' is a liquorice gourami said to come from Jambi province, central Sumatra, Indonesia, presumably the Sentang river. It is sometimes referred to by the invented name P. 'sintangensis'. It closely resembles P. bintan and P. sp. 'blue line', though the inner bluish bands in its dorsal, anal and caudal fins are perhaps a little narrower. Its habitat is unconfirmed.

Parosphromenus tweediei is a liquorice gourami restricted to a handful of localities in western Johor state, Peninsular Malaysia. Known in the hobby since the mid-twentieth century, it has almost always been identified as P. deissneri and appears as such in most aquarium literature. Males have a black subdistal band in the unpaired fins with a broad, vivid red band inside it. It has been extirpated from Malacca and is considered in grave danger of extinction.

The brown dot peckoltia (Peckoltia oligospila), also known as L006, is a suckermouth catfish from the rios Tocantins and Capim in Brazil. Only faint spots and saddles mark its body, a pattern it shares among congeners with P. bachi and some specimens of P. furcata alone. Relatively peaceful but territorial with conspecifics, it is a cave-spawner and does best in a tank designed to simulate a flowing stream.