Thick-lipped Gourami Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Elongated body shape similar to the closely related Honey Gourami
• Noticeably enlarged, fleshy lips that give the species its common name
• Base coloration of tan to olive with faint diagonal dark banding along the flanks
• Breeding males develop reddish-orange coloration on the throat and fins, with the fin edges sometimes trimmed in a darker hue
• Thread-like pelvic fin filaments similar to other gouramis, though shorter and less conspicuous than in larger relatives
• Body outline is slim and elongated, closer to the Honey Gourami than to deeper-bodied species
• Modest size, typically around 3 inches, slightly larger than the Honey Gourami

Common look-alikes

• Honey gourami: has thinner lips and a more solid honey-orange breeding coloration rather than diagonal banding
• Dwarf gourami: shows bold, well-defined diagonal blue-and-red stripes and noticeably thinner lips

Where you'll see one

Thick-lipped gouramis inhabit shallow, vegetated ponds, ditches, and slow streams of Myanmar and northeastern India, typically in still or gently flowing water with dense plant growth close to the surface.