It is native to and common in swiftly flowing forest streams of the Malay Peninsula, Cambodia, Thailand, Borneo, and Sumatra, having originally been described from a population in Penang state in Malaysia.
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Cantor originally described the Penang betta as Macropodus pugnax, classifying it alongside the paradise fish (M. opercularis); its specific epithet, pugnax, is Latin for "fighting".
Penang | Penang Island | Penang Free School | Penang Bridge | Roman Catholic Diocese of Penang | St. George's Girls' School (Penang, Malaysia) | Penang Turf Club | Penang State Symphony Orchestra and Chorus | Penang Po Leung Kuk | Penang International Airport | Penang Adventist Hospital | Church of Divine Mercy, Penang | Betta |