Scleropages

Scleropages is a genus with 4 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Arowanas & Oddballs section, recorded from Australia, Indonesia, Myanmar and 4 more countries. Adult sizes run from 23.5 in to 39.5 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
4
Adult sizes
23.5–39.5 in
IUCN assessed
4 of 4 · 1 threatened
Recorded from
7 countries

About the genus

Scleropages is a genus of large, elongate bonytongue fish (family Osteoglossidae) found across freshwater systems of Southeast Asia and the Australia-New Guinea region - the atlas lists Australia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand. The body is long and laterally compressed with an upturned mouth and large, mirror-bright scales; Scleropages are surface-oriented ambush predators well known for leaping clear of the water to take insects and small prey overhanging the surface. Atlas species run 23.5–39.5 in, among the largest fish kept in home aquaria anywhere in the hobby.

The Asian arowana (S. formosus) is one of the most culturally and commercially significant ornamental fish in the world, especially prized across Asia for vivid color forms - red, golden, and others - and long regarded as a symbol of luck and prosperity; overharvesting collapsed wild populations, and the species is now farmed under strict regulation, with captive-bred individuals commonly microchipped to document legal origin. The Australian species, S. jardinii (Gulf saratoga) and S. leichardti (southern saratoga), are less commercially prized but do appear among large-tank specialists. Conservation across the genus reflects that split history: the atlas records one Endangered, one Near Threatened, and one Data Deficient status alongside a single Least Concern species.

IUCN Red List: Endangered · 1 Near Threatened · 1 Least Concern · 1 Data Deficient · 1

The 4 species

Every Scleropages recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources. 1 has hobbyist breeding reports (◉).

(Müller & Schlegel, 1840)

Asian arowana, Dragon fish, Malayan bonytongue

35.5 in TL · EN

Roberts, 2012

Myanmar arowana

23.5 in TL · DD

(Saville-Kent, 1892)

Gulf saratoga, Northern saratoga, Australian bonytongue

39.5 in TL · LC

Günther, 1864

Southern saratoga, saratoga

35.5 in TL · NT

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Scleropages. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/scleropages/

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