Osphronemus exodon

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	PERCIFORMES	OSPHRONEMIDAE

Scientific Name:

Osphronemus exodon

Species Authority:

Roberts, 1994

Common Name/s:

English

–

Elephant Ear Gourami

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Vulnerable A2ce ver 3.1
Year Published:	2009
Assessor/s:	Jenkins, A., Kullander, F.F. & Tan, H.H.
Reviewer/s:	Collen, B., Darwall, W., Ram, M. & Smith, K. (SRLI Freshwater Fish Evaluation Workshop)
Contributor/s:
Justification: O. exodon has been assessed as Vulnerable due to an inferred population decrease of more than 30% in the past ten years, caused by habitat degradation, as a result of dams and other water management projects, and high levels of pollution in the Mekong River.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	O. exodon is found in the Mekong basin, in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Thailand.
Countries:	Native: Cambodia; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Thailand
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The population is thought to be decreasing at a rate of more than 30% over the previous ten years, although detailed numbers are not known.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	O. exodon is a pelagic and potamodromous species which occurs in pools of large rivers and in flooded forests during the rainy season. This species feeds mainly on plant matter including fruits, leaves, and flowers, with some insects and crustaceans and is known to reproduce in non-flowing waters near the river shore during lowest water levels. O. exodon undertakes lateral migrations from the Mekong mainstream into floodplain areas during the flood season and returns to the Mekong River or other permanent water bodies during the dry season; these movements are triggered when water levels change.
Systems:	Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

O. exodon is a pelagic and potamodromous species which occurs in pools of large rivers and in flooded forests during the rainy season. This species feeds mainly on plant matter including fruits, leaves, and flowers, with some insects and crustaceans and is known to reproduce in non-flowing waters near the river shore during lowest water levels.

O. exodon undertakes lateral migrations from the Mekong mainstream into floodplain areas during the flood season and returns to the Mekong River or other permanent water bodies during the dry season; these movements are triggered when water levels change.

Systems:

Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	A major threat to species in the Mekong river is habitat degradation from the construction of dams and other water management projects, more of which are planned for the future; the effects of such projects include disruption to the natural flood/drought cycle of the river, and changed levels of sedimentation and dissolved oxygen (International Rivers Network 2006). Changes in river hydrology may have more of an effect on O. exodon than some other species as it is potamodromous, with migration into flood plain areas triggered by changes in the water level. Furthermore, there are reports of high levels of pollution in the Mekong River basin, and water from the river is used for agricultural irrigation and to supply urbanised areas, causing additional disruption to the natural hydrological cycle. This species is also harvested throughout it's range.

Major Threat(s):

A major threat to species in the Mekong river is habitat degradation from the construction of dams and other water management projects, more of which are planned for the future; the effects of such projects include disruption to the natural flood/drought cycle of the river, and changed levels of sedimentation and dissolved oxygen (International Rivers Network 2006). Changes in river hydrology may have more of an effect on O. exodon than some other species as it is potamodromous, with migration into flood plain areas triggered by changes in the water level.

Furthermore, there are reports of high levels of pollution in the Mekong River basin, and water from the river is used for agricultural irrigation and to supply urbanised areas, causing additional disruption to the natural hydrological cycle. This species is also harvested throughout it's range.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	There are no conservation measures currently known to be in action at habitat or species level.

Conservation Actions:

There are no conservation measures currently known to be in action at habitat or species level.

Citation:	Jenkins, A., Kullander, F.F. & Tan, H.H. 2009. Osphronemus exodon. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 21 May 2013.
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