Snakeskin gourami Snakeskin gourami The snakeskin gourami ("Trichopodus pectoralis") (" കൈതക്കോര ") is a species of gourami native to Southeast Asia. The name Trichopodus comes from the Ancient Greek words θρίξ ("thríx") which means hair and πούς ("poús") which means foot while "pectoralis" comes from the Latin words "pectus" which means "chest" and "ālis" which means "of or pertaining to", refers to the large pectoral fins of the species. The snakeskin gourami is an elongated, moderately compressed fish with a small dorsal fin. Its anal fin is nearly the length of the body and the pelvic fins are long and thread-like. The
Kissing gourami superior (upward-facing) as in other gourami families, the kissing gourami's mouth is highly protrusible as its family name suggests, the lips are lined with horny teeth. However, teeth are absent from the premaxilla, dentaries, palatine, and pharynx. The gill rakers are also well-developed and numerous. The visible scales of the body are ctenoid, whereas the scales of the top of the head are cycloid. Kissing gourami reach a maximum of in total length. There is no outward sexual dimorphism and is difficult to almost impossible to distinguish the sexes. Two colour morphs are encountered: greens, which have lengthwise lateral stripes