Betta persephone was thought to be endemic to forests around the towns of Ayer Hitam, Muar, and Kluang in southwestern Johor state, Peninsular Malaysia. However, remarkably, a population of the species was recently discovered in Riau, Indonesia. Like its cousinĀ Betta livida, Betta persephone has been driven to near extinction due to its natural habitat being destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations.
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