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Atheriniformes (Silversides) >
Melanotaeniidae (Rainbowfishes, blue eyes)
Etymology: Melanotaenia: Greek, melan, -anos = black + latin, taenia = stripe (Ref. 45335); sahulensis: Named for the Pleistocene-era continent Sahul which comprised the land masses of Australia and New Guinea connected under low sea-level and is reflected in the modern distribution of this species. This is a tribute to the Australian and New Guinea Fishes Association (which maintains the journal Fishes of Sahul) that has done much to promote and document native fishes of the region, especially rainbowfishes.
Milieu: milieu / Klimaatzone / Diepte / verspreidingsgebied
Ecologie
; zoet water benthopelagisch; pH range: 5.5 - 7.0; diepte 0 - 1 m (Ref. 121823). Tropical
Oceania: Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
Grootte / Gewicht / Leeftijd
Maturiteit: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 4.8 cm SL mannelijk / geslacht onbekend; (Ref. 121823); 3.9 cm SL (female)
Korte beschrijving
Determinatiesleutels | Morfologie | Morfometrie
Dorsale stekels (totaal) : 8; Dorsale zachte stralen (totaal) : 7 - 10; Anale stekels: 1; Anale zachte stralen: 15 - 17; Wervels: 32 - 35. This species with well-contrasted dark lateral body stripes, is distinguished by the following set of characters: D V-VII, I,7-10 (mode 8); A I,15-17 (mode 16); total procurrent caudal rays 12-16 (mode 13); lateral scales 31-34 (mode 33); cheek scales often 9-12; total gill rakers on first arch 14-18; vertebrae 32-35 (mode 34); body very deep with greatest depth 2.6-3.7 (mean 3.0) in SL, greatest width 1.7-2.9 (mean 2.0) in HL; maxilla relatively long 3.2-4.2 (mean 3.6) in HL; long predorsal distance 1.8-2.2 (mean 2.0) in SL. Colouration: when alive silver to grey body with a series of black lateral stripes; fins with distinct contrasting colour zones, separated by a thick dark submarginal band, most distinct in nuptial males (Ref. 121823).
Cross section: compressed.
Known from large lateral floodplain systems and small swampy creeks, including dune lakes, with dense cover. Occurs in lily lagoons and is most frequently found in acid waters (pH 5.5-7.0). The largest fish recorded in wild was 4.06 cm SL (4.97 mm TL: AM I.21008-005; 4.84 cm SL from captive stock from Skull Creek, near Bamaga), and the fish attributable to this form (Skull Creek) grow larger in captivity (around 50 mm SL or 60 mm TL: NTM S.18153-001) (Ref. 121823).
Levenscyclus en paargedrag
Maturiteit | Voortplanting | Paaien | Eieren | Fecunditeit | Larven
Hammer, M.P., G.R. Allen, K.C. Martin, M. Adams and P.J. Unmack, 2019. Two new species of dwarf rainbowfishes (Atheriniformes: Melanotaeniidae) from northern Australia and southern New Guinea. Zootaxa 4701(3):201-234. (Ref. 121823)
Status op de Rode Lijst van het IUCN (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))
Gevaar voor de mens
Harmless
Gebruik door de mens
Visserij: commercieel; Aquarium: Commercieel
Tools
Speciale rapporten
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Schattingen op basis van modellen
Fylogenetische diversiteitsindex (Ref. 82804) |
PD50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high]. |
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Bayesian length-weight
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a=0.01122 (0.00514 - 0.02450), b=3.04 (2.87 - 3.21), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245). |
Trofisch niveau (Ref. 69278) |
2.9 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives |
Weerstandsvermogen (Ref. 120179) |
Hoog, minimale populatieverdubbelingstijd minder dan 15 maanden (Preliminary K or Fecundity.). |
Kwetsbaarheid van de visserij (Ref. 59153) |
Low to moderate vulnerability (25 of 100). 🛈 |