climbing perch

American  

noun

1. a brown labyrinth fish, Anabas testudineus, of southeastern Asia and the Malay Archipelago, having a specialized breathing apparatus that enables it to leave the water and move about on land.

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Etymology

Origin of climbing perch

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Waltham said the climbing perch was just one of several invasive wetland-dwelling species in PNG – including walking catfish, snakehead, pacu, tilapia and gourami – that posed a possible threat to Australian habitats.

From The Guardian • Jun. 2, 2015

The climbing perch, or Anabas testudineus, has sharp spines on the extendable cover of its gills, which it uses to drag itself over dry land as it travels from one waterhole to another.

From The Guardian • Jun. 2, 2015

Waltham said he observed climbing perch living in very salty waterholes, equivalent to ocean water, on a trip to the two islands in December.

From The Guardian • Jun. 2, 2015

A small, dark green fish with dusky bands, the climbing perch inhabits Far Eastern estuaries and rivers.

From Time Magazine Archive

Like Anabas, the climbing perch, it possesses a suprabranchial accessory respiratory organ.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 2 "Gloss" to "Gordon, Charles George" by Various