Luciocephalus aura Tan & Ng, 2005
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Luciocephalus aura, sometimes called the green-spotted pikehead or peppermint pikehead, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish from the subfamily Luciocephalinae of the gourami family Osphronemidae. It is endemic to Sumatra where it has been recorded from the middle Batang Hari River and from the middle Musi River drainage. It is typically found in forested swamps. An undescribed similar taxon has been seen in central Kalimantan and this is possibly a third species in the genus Luciocephalus.
On Sumatra, Luciocephalus aura and L. pulcher are both found in the same areas but they appear to be syntopic with L. aura preferring the faster flowing habitats. It is an ambush predator and paternal mouthbrooder. It has a line of bright green spots along its flanks which distinguish it from L. pulcher. Luciocephalus aura reaches 10.5 cm (4.1 inches) in standard length and is known to be a facultative air-breather.
Wikipedia contributors, Luciocephalus aura; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:05:22.505026+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Luciocephalus aura Tan & Ng, 2005
- Name authority
- Tan & Ng, 2005
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anabantiformes
- Family
- Osphronemidae
- Genus
- Luciocephalus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderAnabantiformes
- suborderAnabantoidei
- familyOsphronemidae van der Hoeven, 1832
- subfamilyLuciocephalinae Bleeker, 1852
- genusLuciocephalus Bleeker, 1850
- speciesLuciocephalus aura Tan & Ng, 2005
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Luciocephalus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Luciocephalus pulcher (Gray, 1830) | OsphronemidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Tan, H. H., & Ng, P. K. L. (2005). The labyrinth fishes (Teleostei: Anabanatoidei, Channoidei) of Sumatra, Indonesia. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Suppl., 13: 115–138. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3WCLX. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.