Evidence rule: Trade and color designations are not separate species or proven parent–offspring pedigrees. Exact claims must be checked against cited studies and tagged farm records.
Identity and classification
Species: Scleropages formosus. Record kind: Golden / regional research label phenotype/market designation. Research grade: Regional field-study designation. This is not an independent species.
Geographic and historical origin
Rokan Hulu / Riau in Sumatra (Indonesia) is the field-study region; protect sensitive collection coordinates.
Appearance and diagnostic issues
The golden-red description relates to a named regional population. Do not equate every Red Tail Golden trade fish with this sampled habitat.
Genetics and lineage evidence
Treat geographic field population and commercial strain names as distinct evidence types; no founding pedigree or mutation mapping was presented.
Sampling and scientific support
A 2025 Riau research term for a local golden-red arowana population, not a validated commercial strain genotype. The 2023 direct comparison of five phenotypes found all sampled forms had 2n=50 chromosomes; it did not prove a unique strain-specific gene for any trade name.
Breeding and authentication
For a particular fish, require a PIT/microchip, lawful source documents, claimed breeder/farm, birth cohort, individual parent IDs or documented cross records where available. No advertised grade or photograph alone proves pedigree or genotype.
Care and conservation
As a large surface-oriented male mouthbrooder, Asian arowana needs species-appropriate secure housing and stable water; protected-wildlife trade and import requirements depend on jurisdiction. Do not solicit precise threatened wild collection sites.