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| Chilatherina crassispinosa - photo© Gerald Allen |
(Weber, 1913)
Silver Rainbowfish
Description
Adults are an overall silvery colour with a faint black streak on the upper and lower edges of the caudal fin. Males have narrow orange stripes on the side, one between each scale row, and the dorsal and anal fins are pale yellow. It is similar to Chilatherina bulolo, but has a more pointed head, taller first dorsal fin, and has a narrower space on top of the head between the eyes.
Distribution
This species was initially collected from the Tawarin River, West Papua during 1903. It is widely distributed in northern Papua New Guinea and West Papua. It is found in the Markham, Gogol, Ramu, Sepik, Pual, and Mamberamo River systems. It also occurs in many smaller independent drainages along the north coast.
Habitat & Ecology
Rainforest streams with clear water and rock, gravel, or sandy bottoms. The fish congregate in exposed sections, which receive full sunlit for most of the day. Other rainbowfishes sometimes found together with this species include Chilatherina lorentzi, Chilatherina fasciata, and Melanotaenia affinis. They occur in slow flowing streams and quiet pools, in water temperatures between 24-28° Celsius and pH 7.5-8.5. May reach a maximum size of 12 cm, but usually less than 10 cm SL. Stomach contents of wild caught specimens indicated a diet of small insects, particularly ants, and algae that is grazed from rocks.
Remarks
Live specimens were collected in 1980 and transported to Australia. However, they were never popular or widely available and their status in the hobby today is uncertain.
© Copyright Adrian R. Tappin
Updated January, 2007.
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