Kissing gourami
| Kissing gourami | |
|---|---|
| Natural form above, Leucistic form below | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anabantiformes |
| Family: | Helostomatidae T. N. Gill, 1872 |
| Genus: | Helostoma G. Cuvier, 1829 |
| Species: | H. temminckii |
| Binomial name | |
| Helostoma temminckii G. Cuvier, 1829 | |
| Red: extant, Light red: possibly extant, Green: introduced | |
Kissing gouramis, also known as kissing fish or kissers (Helostoma temminckii), are medium-sized tropical freshwater fish comprising the monotypic labyrinth fish family Helostomatidae (from the Greek elos [stud, nail], stoma [mouth]). These fish originate from Mainland Southeast Asia, the Greater Sundas and nearby smaller islands, but have also been introduced outside their native range. They are regarded as a food fish and they are sometimes farmed. They are used fresh for steaming, baking, broiling, and pan frying. The kissing gourami is a popular aquarium fish.