Harvey's Licorice Gourami

Parosphromenus harveyi is a tropical, freshwater, pelagic, non-migratory fish and a known inhabitant of peat swamp forests and associated blackwater streams. It typically occurs at a depth of 0.3 to 1.6 m (1.0 to 5.2 ft), although this fluctuates based on rainfall.

Parosphromenus spp. have been grouped arbitrarily based on courtship behaviour in males which adopt a "head-down", "head-up", or "horizontal" position depending on species. The species normally spawns in small caves or among leaf litter, forming temporary pair bonds with the male solely responsible for egg and brood-care. P. harveyi belongs to the former, more speciose, assemblage, in which the male assumes a near-vertical position with the head lowered and fins splayed during nuptial displays. Sexually-active males form small territories, at the centre of which is a small cave normally formed from leaf litter in natural settings, with males then attempting to attract females in the vicinity to enter the cave via courtship displays. Eggs and milt are released in batches during a series of embraces in which the male wraps its body around that of the female. Some males construct a rudimentary bubble nest inside the cave while others do not, but both males and females attempt to attach the eggs to the ceiling after they are released. Subsequent spawning embraces may dislodge eggs from the roof of the cave, and inexperienced adults sometimes simply eat them, so a degree of patience may be required until the fish successfully reproduce in captivity. Following a successful spawn, the female leaves the cave and proceeds to defend the surrounding area while the male tends to the brood. …

The generic name is a compound of para meaning "near", "similar to" and Osphronemus, a name coined by Philibert Commerson meaning "olfactory", a reference to its labyrinth organ, which Commerson thought was an olfactory organ. The person honoured in the specific name is thought to be the German born aquarist Will Harvey (1916-2013) who settled in Scotland after World War II and whose obituary Brown wrote.