gourami

/goo rah"mee/, n., pl. (esp. collectively) gourami, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) gouramis.

1. a large, air-breathing, nest-building, freshwater Asiatic fish, Osphronemus goramy, used for food.

2. any of several small, air-breathing, nest-building Asiatic fishes of the genera Trichogaster, Colisa, and Trichopsis, often kept in aquariums.

[1875-80; < Malay (Java dial.) gurami < Javanese graméh]

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Any of several of the freshwater, tropical labyrinth fishes (order Perciformes), especially Osphronemus goramy, an East Indian fish caught or raised for food.

A compact, oval fish with a long, filamentous ray extending from each pelvic fin, it weighs up to 20 lbs (9 kg). Adults are brown or gray with a paler belly. Other gouramis, several of them popular in home aquariums, are Asian members of different genera and families. Generally deep-bodied and small-mouthed, they include the giant gourami (Colisa fasciata), a blue-green and reddish brown fish 5 in. (12 cm) long; the dwarf gourami (C. lalia), 2.5 in. (6 cm) long, brightly striped in red and blue; and the kissing gourami (Helostoma temmincki), a greenish or pinkish white fish noted for its "kissing" activities.

Dwarf gourami (Colisa lalia).

Jane Burton/Bruce Coleman Ltd.

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▪ fish

      any of several of the freshwater, tropical labyrinth fishes (order Perciformes), especially Osphronemus goramy, an East Indian fish that is caught or raised for food; it has been introduced elsewhere. This species is a compact, oval fish with a long, filamentous ray extending from each pelvic fin. It attains a weight of about 9 kg (20 pounds). As an adult, it is brown or gray with a paler belly; when young, it is dark-banded and reddish brown. It is the only member of the family Osphronemidae.

      Other gourami, several of them popular in home aquariums, are Asian members of different genera and families. They are generally rather deep-bodied and small-mouthed. With the exception of the kissing gourami, sole member of the family Helostomatidae, they are of the family Belontiidae and are characterized by an elongated ray in each pelvic fin. Common species include the giant gourami (Colisa fasciata), a blue-green and reddish brown fish 12 cm (4.75 inches) long; the dwarf gourami (C. lalia), 6 cm long, brightly striped in red and blue; the kissing gourami (Helostoma temmincki), a greenish or pinkish white fish noted for its “kissing” activities; and the three-spot, or blue, gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus), a dark-spotted, silvery or blue species.

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