No—male betta fish do not have a penis in the usual sense of an organ inserted into a female to deliver sperm. Bettas reproduce through external fertilization: the female releases eggs during a spawning embrace, and the male fertilizes them as they emerge.
How bettas reproduce
During spawning, the male wraps his body around the female. She releases eggs, often a few at a time during each embrace, and the male fertilizes them as they emerge. The embrace is part of spawning; it does not mean that the male inserts a penis. The University of Florida IFAS Extension’s account of betta care and culture and a peer-reviewed article on using bettas in research describe this external-fertilization sequence.
Afterward, the male gathers the falling eggs and places them in a bubble nest, which he guards. FishBase’s reproduction summary for Betta splendens identifies the species as a bubble-nest builder with male nest guarding.
Why a visible underside structure may not be a penis
A genital opening or papilla is not automatically a penis. Fish reproductive anatomy varies: some fish have specialized structures that transfer sperm into a female, while others release sperm onto eggs. General references discuss these differences, including the University of Oklahoma’s introduction to fish reproduction and a comparative account of the urogenital papilla in male surfperches. Those examples are not evidence that bettas have an intromittent organ.
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If you have noticed a particular feature on your fish, its appearance alone is not enough to identify it. The sources describing betta spawning explain how fertilization happens, rather than presenting a dissection that rules out every possible anatomical structure. The supported answer is therefore specific: bettas do not have a penis in the usual intromittent sense.
Quick Recap
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