Genus · Rainbowfish

Melanotaenia

Melanotaenia is a genus with 103 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Rainbowfish section, recorded from Indonesia, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Adult sizes run from 1.5 in to 8 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas: 103
Adult sizes: 1.5–8 in
IUCN assessed: 103 of 103 · 48 threatened
Recorded from: 3 countries
Type species: Melanotaenia nigrans — described as Atherina nigrans Richardson 1843

About the genus

Melanotaenia is the largest genus of rainbowfishes, family Melanotaeniidae, a group of small, laterally compressed freshwater fishes with two closely set dorsal fins and often a striking sheen of blue, green, or orange in mature males. The atlas covers 89 species, ranging from 1.5–8 in, found across New Guinea (both the Indonesian Papua provinces and Papua New Guinea) and Australia. Melanotaenia species inhabit clear rainforest streams, slow lowland rivers, swamps, and, notably, isolated volcanic crater lakes, and a great many species are narrow endemics tied to a single lake, island, or drainage rather than widespread across the continent.

The genus has long been a mainstay of the freshwater aquarium hobby: rainbowfishes are peaceful, hardy schooling fish that colour up dramatically with age and good water quality, and males display their fins and hues to court females before scattering adhesive eggs over fine-leaved plants or spawning mops. Melanotaenia boesemani (Boeseman's rainbowfish), with its sharp split of blue-grey forebody and orange-red rear, is one of the most recognizable community aquarium fish in the trade, and lake endemics such as the Lake Tebera and Ajamaru lakes rainbowfishes give the genus a strong following among specialist keepers.

Conservation concern runs unusually high for the genus: of the 89 species in the atlas, 13 are assessed Critically Endangered, 16 Endangered, and 19 Vulnerable, with 6 flagged under CARES. Because so many species are confined to a single crater lake or short island stream, they are acutely exposed to introduced predatory fish, habitat clearing, and pollution, so a change to one lake's ecology can threaten a species that exists nowhere else.

IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered · 13 Endangered · 16 Vulnerable · 19 Near Threatened · 5 Least Concern · 34 Not Evaluated · 16CARES 6 on the priority list

The 103 species

Every Melanotaenia recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources. 3 have hobbyist breeding reports (◉).

Melanotaenia affinis

(Weber, 1907)

North New Guinea rainbowfish, Northern Rainbowfish

4.5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia ajamaruensis

Allen & Cross, 1980

Ajamaru lakes rainbowfish, Ajamaru Rainbowfish

4 in SL · CR

Melanotaenia albimarginata

Allen, Hadiaty, Unmack & Erdmann, 2015

Whitetip Rainbowfish

3.5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia ammeri

Allen, Unmack & Hadiaty, 2008

Ammer's Rainbowfish

4 in SL · NT

Melanotaenia angfa

Allen, 1990

Yakati Rainbowfish

4.5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia arfakensis

Allen, 1990

Arfak Rainbowfish

3 in SL · EN CARES

Melanotaenia arguni

Kadarusman, Hadiaty & Pouyaud, 2012

Arguni Rainbowfish

3 in SL · EN

Melanotaenia aruensis

Allen, Hadiaty, Unmack & Erdmann, 2015

Aru Rainbowfish

3 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia australis

(Castelnau, 1875)

Western Rainbowfish, Australian Rainbowfish, Red-tailed Rainbowfish

4.5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia batanta

Allen & Renyaan, 1998

Batanta Rainbowfish

3.5 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia boesemani

◉

Allen & Cross, 1980

Boeseman's Rainbowfish, Boesemani Rainbowfish, Bicolour Rainbowfish

4.5 in SL · EN CARES

Melanotaenia bowmani

Allen, Unmack & Hadiaty, 2016

Etna Bay Rainbowfish

3 in SL · CR

Melanotaenia caerulea

Allen, 1996

Blue rainbowfish

2.5 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia catherinae

(de Beaufort, 1910)

Waigeo rainbowfish

3 in SL · LC

4 in SL · CR

Melanotaenia duboulayi

(Castelnau, 1878)

Crimsonspotted Rainbowfish, Crimson-spotted Rainbowfish, Duboulay's Rainbowfish

4.5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia dumasi

Weber, 1907

Melanotaenia eachamensis

Allen & Cross, 1982

Lake Eacham rainbowfish

2.5 in SL · EN CARES

Melanotaenia ericrobertsi

Allen, Unmack & Hadiaty, 2014

Suswa Rainbowfish

4.5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia etnaensis

Allen, Unmack & Hadiaty, 2016

Etna Bay Rainbowfish

4 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia exquisita

Allen, 1978

Exquisite Rainbowfish

3 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia fasinensis

Kadarusman, Sudarto, Paradis & Pouyaud, 2010

Fasin Rainbowfish, West Papua Rainbowfish

4.5 in SL · EN

Melanotaenia flavipinnis

Allen, Hadiaty & Unmack, 2014

Yellow-finned Rainbowfish, Misool Rainbowfish

3 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia fluviatilis

(Castelnau, 1878)

Murray River rainbowfish, Australian rainbowfish

4.5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia fredericki

(Fowler, 1939)

Sorong Rainbowfish

3.5 in SL · NT

Melanotaenia garylangei

Graf, Herder & Hadiaty, 2015

Gary Lange's Rainbowfish

3 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia goldiei

(Macleay, 1883)

Goldie River rainbowfish

4.5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia gracilis

Allen, 1978

Slender Rainbowfish

3 in SL · EN

Melanotaenia grunwaldi

Allen, Unmack & Hadiaty, 2016

Grunwald's Rainbowfish

3 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi

Allen, 1981

Lake Tebera rainbowfish, Yellow Rainbowfish, Axelrod's Rainbowfish

6 in TL · VU

Melanotaenia irianjaya

Allen, 1985

Irian Jaya rainbowfish

3.5 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia iris

Allen, 1987

Strickland rainbowfish

4.5 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia jakora

Graf, Ohee, Herder & Haryono, 2023

Kali Jakora Rainbowfish, Sparkle Rainbowfish, Jakora Rainbowfish

2.5 in SL · NE

Melanotaenia japenensis

Allen & Cross, 1980

Yapen Rainbowfish

3 in SL · EN

Melanotaenia kamaka

Allen & Renyaan, 1996

Kamaka Rainbowfish

2.5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia klasioensis

Kadarusman, Hadiaty & Pouyaud, 2015

Klasio Creek Rainbowfish

3.5 in SL · CR

Melanotaenia kokasensis

Allen, Unmack & Hadiaty, 2008

Kokas Rainbowfish

2.5 in SL · CR

Melanotaenia kolaensis

Allen, Hadiaty, Unmack & Erdmann, 2015

Kola rainbowfish

3 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia lacunosa

Allen, Unmack & Hadiaty, 2016

3.5 in SL · CR

Melanotaenia lacustris

◉

Munro, 1964

Lake Kutubu Rainbowfish, Turquoise Rainbowfish, Turquoise rainbow fish

4 in SL · EN CARES

Melanotaenia lakamora

Allen & Renyaan, 1996

Lakamora Rainbowfish

2 in SL · EN

Melanotaenia laticlavia

Allen, Unmack & Hadiaty, 2014

Aifuf rainbowfish

3 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia longispina

Kadarusman, Avarre & Pouyaud, 2015

3.5 in SL · CR

Melanotaenia maccullochi

Ogilby, 1915

Macculloch's rainbowfish, McCulloch's Rainbowfish, Dwarf Rainbowfish

3 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia mairasi

Allen & Hadiaty, 2011

Lake Furnusu rainbowfish

2 in SL · CR

Melanotaenia mamahensis

Allen, Unmack & Hadiaty, 2016

Mamah Rainbowfish

3 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia manibuii

Kadarusman, Slembrouck & Pouyaud, 2015

4 in SL · EN

Melanotaenia maylandi

Allen, 1983

Mayland's Rainbowfish

3.5 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia misoolensis

Allen, 1982

Misool Rainbowfish

3 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia monticola

Allen, 1980

Mountain Rainbowfish

3 in SL · NT

Melanotaenia mubiensis

Allen, 1996

Mubi Rainbowfish

3.5 in SL · EN

Melanotaenia multiradiata

Allen, Unmack & Hadiaty, 2014

Moswaren rainbowfish

5 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia naramasae

Kadarusman, Nugraha & Pouyaud, 2015

Naramasa Rainbowfish

4 in SL · EN

Melanotaenia nigrans

(Richardson, 1843)

Blackbanded rainbowfish, Black-banded rainbowfish

4 in TL · LC

Melanotaenia ogilbyi

Weber, 1910

Ogilby's Rainbowfish

3 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia oktediensis

Allen & Cross, 1980

Oktedi rainbowfish

4 in SL · CR CARES

Melanotaenia papuae

Allen, 1981

Papuan rainbowfish

2.5 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia parkinsoni

Allen, 1980

Parkinson's Rainbowfish

4.5 in SL · NT

Melanotaenia parva

Allen, 1990

Lake Kuromai rainbowfish, Lake Kurumoi Rainbowfish, Lake Kurumoi rainbow

2.5 in SL · CR CARES

Melanotaenia patoti

(Weber, 1907)

Patoti's Rainbowfish

3.5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia picta

Allen, Hadiaty, Unmack & Erdmann, 2015

Painted rainbowfish, Aru rainbowfish, Aru ii

3.5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia pierucciae

Allen & Renyaan, 1996

Pierucci's Rainbowfish

2.5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia pimaensis

Allen, 1981

Pima River rainbowfish

4 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia praecox

◉

(Weber & de Beaufort, 1922)

Dwarf rainbowfish, Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish, Praecox Rainbowfish

2 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia pygmaea

Allen, 1978

Pygmy Rainbowfish

2 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia rubripinnis

Allen & Renyaan, 1998

Red-finned rainbowfish

4.5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia rubrivittata

Allen, Unmack & Hadiaty, 2015

Wapoga Red Laser Rainbowfish, Red-striped Rainbowfish

2 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia rubrostriata

(Ramsay & Ogilby, 1886)

Red-striped Rainbowfish

5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia rumberponensis

Kadarusman, Ogistira & Pouyaud, 2015

Rumberpon Rainbowfish

3 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia sahulensis

Hammer, Allen, Martin, Adams & Unmack, 2019

Sahul Rainbowfish

2 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia salawati

Kadarusman, Sudarto, Slembrouck & Pouyaud, 2011

Salawati Rainbowfish

3.5 in SL · NT

Melanotaenia sembrae

Kadarusman, Carman & Pouyaud, 2015

Sembra Rainbowfish

4 in SL · EN

Melanotaenia senckenbergiana

(Weber, 1911)

Senckenberg Rainbowfish

2.5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia sexlineata

(Munro, 1964)

Fly River rainbowfish, Six-lined Rainbowfish

3 in SL · EN

Melanotaenia sikuensis

Kadarusman, Sudarto & Pouyaud, 2015

Siku Rainbowfish

3.5 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia sneideri

Allen & Hadiaty, 2013

Kumawa Rainbowfish

3 in SL · CR

Melanotaenia solata

Taylor, 1964

Northern Rainbowfish

4.5 in SL · NE

8 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia susii

Kadarusman, Hubert & Pouyaud, 2015

Susi Creek Rainbowfish, Susii Rainbowfish

5 in SL · CR

Melanotaenia sylvatica

Allen, 1997

Forest Rainbowfish

2 in SL · EN

Melanotaenia synergos

Allen & Unmack, 2008

Batanta Blue Rainbowfish

2.5 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia trifasciata

(Rendahl, 1922)

Banded rainbowfish, Jewel Rainbowfish, Goyder River Rainbowfish

5 in SL · LC

Melanotaenia urisa

Kadarusman, Setiawibawa & Pouyaud, 2012

Urisa Rainbowfish

3.5 in SL · CR

Melanotaenia utcheensis

McGuigan, 2001

Utchee rainbowfish, Utchee Creek Rainbowfish

2 in SL · EN

Melanotaenia vanheurni

(Weber & de Beaufort, 1922)

Van Heurn's rainbowfish

6.5 in SL · LC

1.5 in SL · VU

Melanotaenia wokamensis

Allen, Hadiaty, Unmack & Erdmann, 2015

Wokam Rainbowfish

3 in SL · LC

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Melanotaenia. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/melanotaenia/

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