Sandelia is a genus of labyrinth fish (family Anabantidae) endemic to South Africa, making it one of the southernmost-occurring anabantoid genera in the world -- most labyrinth fish are tropical, while Sandelia's two species, S. bainsii and S. capensis, live in the cool, often clear rivers of the country's Cape region. Both share the family's signature adaptation, a labyrinth organ above the gills that lets them gulp atmospheric air and survive in poorly oxygenated water, paired with a robust, elongated body and a somewhat predatory, territorial temperament more in line with a small perch than a typical peaceful gourami. Adult size in the atlas runs from about 8.5–10 in, sizeable for the family.
These are fish of mainly scientific and conservation interest rather than the aquarium trade -- S. bainsii (the Rocky kurper) and S. capensis (the Cape kurper) are little kept outside specialist or regional circles. South Africa's Cape river systems have been heavily altered by invasive predatory fish such as bass and trout, along with habitat degradation, and the genus's conservation assessments -- one species Endangered, the other Data Deficient -- reflect how much pressure and how little survey coverage these narrowly distributed Cape endemics carry.