Genetic Variation of Giant Gourami (Osphronemus goramy Lacepède 1801) in Indonesia: Insights from Morphometric and Mitochondrial DNA COI Analysis

Giant gourami (Osphronemus goramy) is one of the main aquaculture commodities in Indonesia, originally distributed across the waters of Java, Sumatra and Borneo. This study aims to determine the genetic variation of giant gourami in Indonesia through morphometric and molecular analyses using mitochondrial DNA marker Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I (COI). Morphometric assessment revealed a low average coefficient of variance, ranging from 2% to 20%. Correlation analysis indicated that the forehead and caudal peduncle were key distinguishing characteristics of giant gourami. Discriminant and cluster analyses classified giant gourami into three geographical populations: Java, Sumatra, and Borneo. A similar clustering pattern was observed in the molecular analysis results. Our study concluded that the giant gourami populations in Indonesia exhibit distinct haplotypes and cluster according to their island of origin. The Sumatra and Java populations showed a closer genetic relationship compared to the Borneo samples, as reflected in both genetic distance and morphometric assessment.