Domestication of Snakeskin Gourami (Trichopodus pectoralis Regan, 1910) in Indonesia: Characterization, Bioreproduction and Early Development

Domestication is the important step to increase the production and productivity of the snakeskin gourami in Indonesia. At the initial step of domestication, information on phenotype, genotype and early development stage are needed. This paper will describe the result of studies on phenotype, genotype and early development of snakeskin gourami from nine populations in Indonesia; Jambi, South Sumatra, and Lampung( Sumatra), West Java, Central Java and East Java (Java) and West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan (Kalimantan) were carried out. The results showed that the highest intra-population similarity index value from sharing component analysis was Central Java population (73.3%), while the lowest was South Sumatra population (16.7%). The genetic relationship showed that the first cluster represented by populations from South Sumatra, Lampung, East and West Jawa. Even the hatching phase was the most critical phase in the early development of snakeskin gourami but the early development performance of fertilized eggs, embryos, and larvae showed no differences between observed populations. The survival rate of larvae for East Java, West Kalimantan and Lampung were 92%, 86% and 82%, respectively.