Rainbowfish

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Rainbowfishes

Boeseman's rainbowfish, Melanotaenia boesemani, red variety

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Atheriniformes
Suborder:	Melanotaenioidei
Family:	Melanotaeniidae

Genera and species

See text.

The rainbowfishes are a family of small, colourful, freshwater fish that are found in northern and eastern Australia and New Guinea and in the Southeast Asian Islands.

The dominant rainbowfish genus and its many species derive their generic name Melanotaenia from the Ancient Greek Melano (=black) and taenia (=banded). Translated, it means "black-banded" and is a reference to the often striking lateral black bands that run along the bodies of those in the Melanotaenia genera.

Rainbowfish are popular aquarium fish along with blue-eyes (genus Pseudomugil), which are another small colourful fish found in a similar range and habitats. Rainbowfish populations in the wild have been severely affected by the aggressive introduced eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki).

[edit] Species

FishBase lists 71 species in seven genera:

Genus Cairnsichthys
- Cairns rainbowfish, Cairnsichthys rhombosomoides (Nichols & Raven, 1928).
Genus Chilatherina
- Chilatherina alleni Price, 1997.
- Axelrod's rainbowfish, Chilatherina axelrodi Allen, 1979.
- Bleher's rainbowfish, Chilatherina bleheri Allen, 1985.
- Bulolo rainbowfish, Chilatherina bulolo (Whitley, 1938).
- Highlands rainbowfish, Chilatherina campsi (Whitley, 1957).
- Silver rainbowfish, Chilatherina crassispinosa (Weber, 1913).
- Barred rainbowfish, Chilatherina fasciata (Weber, 1913).
- Lorentz's rainbowfish, Chilatherina lorentzii (Weber, 1907).
- Chilatherina pricei Allen & Renyaan, 1996.
- Sentani rainbowfish, Chilatherina sentaniensis (Weber, 1907).
Genus Glossolepis
- Glossolepis dorityi Allen, 2001.
- Red rainbowfish, Glossolepis incisus Weber, 1907.
- Leggett's rainbowfish, Glossolepis leggetti Allen & Renyaan, 1998.
- Spotted rainbowfish, Glossolepis maculosus Allen, 1981.
- Sepik rainbowfish, Glossolepis multisquamata (Weber & de Beaufort, 1922).
- Tami River rainbowfish, Glossolepis pseudoincisus Allen & Cross, 1980.
- Ramu rainbowfish, Glossolepis ramuensis Allen, 1985.
- Lake Wanam rainbowfish, Glossolepis wanamensis Allen & Kailola, 1979.
Genus Iriatherina
- Threadfin rainbowfish, Iriatherina werneri Meinken, 1974.
Genus Melanotaenia
- New Guinea rainbowfish, Melanotaenia affinis (Weber, 1907).
- Ajamaru lakes rainbowfish, Melanotaenia ajamaruensis Allen & Cross, 1980.
- Yakati rainbowfish, Melanotaenia angfa Allen, 1990.
- Arfak rainbowfish, Melanotaenia arfakensis Allen, 1990.
- Western rainbowfish, Melanotaenia australis (Castelnau, 1875).
- Batanta rainbowfish, Melanotaenia batanta Allen & Renyaan, 1998.
- Boeseman's rainbowfish, Melanotaenia boesemani Allen & Cross, 1980.
- Blue rainbowfish, Melanotaenia caerulea Allen, 1996.
- Waigeo rainbowfish, Melanotaenia catherinae (de Beaufort, 1910).
- Corona rainbowfish, Melanotaenia corona Allen, 1982.
- Duboulay's rainbowfish, Melanotaenia duboulayi (Castelnau, 1878).
- Lake Eacham rainbowfish, Melanotaenia eachamensis Allen & Cross, 1982.
- Exquisite rainbowfish, Melanotaenia exquisita Allen, 1978.
- Melanotaenia fluviatilis (Castelnau, 1878).
- Sorong rainbowfish, Melanotaenia fredericki (Fowler, 1939).
- Goldie River rainbowfish, Melanotaenia goldiei (Macleay, 1883).
- Slender rainbowfish, Melanotaenia gracilis Allen, 1978.
- Lake Tebera rainbowfish, Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi Allen, 1981.
- Irian Jaya rainbowfish, Melanotaenia irianjaya Allen, 1985.
- Strickland rainbowfish, Melanotaenia iris Allen, 1987.
- Yapen rainbowfish, Melanotaenia japenensis Allen & Cross, 1980.
- Kamaka rainbowfish, Melanotaenia kamaka Allen & Renyaan, 1996.
- Lake Kutubu rainbowfish, Melanotaenia lacustris Munro, 1964.
- Lakamora rainbowfish, Melanotaenia lakamora Allen & Renyaan, 1996.
- Macculloch's rainbowfish, Melanotaenia maccullochi Ogilby, 1915.
- Mayland's rainbowfish, Melanotaenia maylandi Allen, 1983.
- Misool rainbowfish, Melanotaenia misoolensis Allen, 1982.
- Mountain rainbowfish, Melanotaenia monticola Allen, 1980.
- Mubi rainbowfish, Melanotaenia mubiensis Allen, 1996.
- Black-banded rainbowfish, Melanotaenia nigrans (Richardson, 1843).
- Ogilby's rainbowfish, Melanotaenia ogilbyi Weber, 1910.
- Oktedi rainbowfish, Melanotaenia oktediensis Allen & Cross, 1980.
- Papuan rainbowfish, Melanotaenia papuae Allen, 1981.
- Parkinson's rainbowfish, Melanotaenia parkinsoni Allen, 1980.
- Lake Kuromai rainbowfish, Melanotaenia parva Allen, 1990.
- Pierucci's rainbowfish, Melanotaenia pierucciae Allen & Renyaan, 1996.
- Pima River rainbowfish, Melanotaenia pimaensis Allen, 1981.
- Dwarf rainbowfish, Melanotaenia praecox (Weber & de Beaufort, 1922).
- Pygmy rainbowfish, Melanotaenia pygmaea Allen, 1978.
- Red-finned rainbowfish, Melanotaenia rubripinnis Allen & Renyaan, 1998.
- Fly River rainbowfish, Melanotaenia sexlineata (Munro, 1964).
- Checkered rainbowfish, Melanotaenia splendida inornata (Castelnau, 1875).
- Red-striped rainbowfish, Melanotaenia splendida rubrostriata (Ramsay & Ogilby, 1886).
- Eastern rainbow fish, Melanotaenia splendida splendida (Peters, 1866).
- Desert rainbowfish, Melanotaenia splendida tatei (Zietz, 1896).
- Melanotaenia sylvatica Allen, 1997.
- Banded rainbowfish, Melanotaenia trifasciata (Rendahl, 1922).
- Melanotaenia utcheensis McGuigan, 2001.
- Van Heurn's rainbowfish, Melanotaenia vanheurni (Weber & de Beaufort, 1922).
Genus Pelangia
- Pelangia mbutaensis Allen, 1998.
Genus Rhadinocentrus
- Ornate rainbowfish, Rhadinocentrus ornatus Regan, 1914.

[edit] Gallery

One and a half year old Boeseman's rainbowfish, Melanotaenia boesemani, yellow variety, ~3.5" TL (total length).

One and a half year old Boeseman's rainbowfish, Melanotaenia boesemani, female, ~3" TL (total length).

Two year old Duboulay's rainbowfish (aka Crimson-Spotted Rainbowfish), Melanotaenia duboulayi, Kangaroo Creek locale, male ~4" TL) and female ~3" TL (Total Length).