Key milestones
- For centuries
Fights in Siam
In the rice paddies of Siam, today's Thailand, wild males are caught and set to fight. They are called "pla kat", the biting fish. Breeders already select the most combative: they are the ancestors of today's Plakats.
- 1840
A royal gift
According to the most often quoted account, the King of Siam gives some of his fish to Theodore Cantor, a British doctor posted in Asia. A few years later, Cantor describes them as Macropodus pugnax.
- Late 19th century
Arrival in Europe
The first fighting fish reach France, then Germany. European fishkeepers discover this fish that breathes air and builds a bubble nest.
- 1910
The name Betta splendens
Zoologist Charles Tate Regan, of the British Museum, notes that the name "pugnax" already belongs to another species. He renames the fighting fish Betta splendens: "splendens" means shining, brilliant.
- Early 20th century
Long fins
The fighting fish reaches the United States. Breeders no longer look for fighters but for beauty: fins grow longer, and the Veil Tail is born, for a long time the most common form.
- 1960s
Shows get organised
The International Betta Congress (IBC) is founded in the United States. Its judging standards are still the worldwide reference.
- 1980s–1990s
Halfmoon and Crowntail
American breeders achieve the perfect semicircle tail, the Halfmoon. Then, in the late 1990s, an Indonesian breeder presents the Crowntail, with rays spiking like a crown.
- 2019
Thailand's national aquatic animal
Thailand names the Betta splendens its national aquatic animal. Breeding supports many families there, who export all over the world.
Where do its names come from?
Betta
The genus name is thought to come from the Malay "ikan bettah", a local name for these fish.
splendens
Latin for shining, brilliant: a nod to the males' iridescent sheen.
Siamese fighting fish
Siam is the former name of Thailand. In Thai, it is still called "pla kat".
And today?
From fighting to beauty
Fish fights still happen locally, but they are frowned upon and often banned. Modern breeding aims for colour, shape and health: shows judge beauty, never aggression.
Never put two males together, nor face to face for long: the stress wears them out.
A species threatened in the wild
The paradox: while millions of fighting fish live in aquariums, the wild form is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. Rice paddies disappear or are sprayed with pesticides, and released farmed fish interbreed with wild ones.