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| Melanotaenia monticola - photo© Neil Armstrong |
Allen, 1980
Mountain Rainbowfish
Description
Males generally have a lilac blue to greenish coloured wash over the body, fading to silvery white on the chest and abdomen. Scales are edged with a coppery gold colouration. They have a very prominent black mid-lateral stripe extending from the eye to the caudal fin base. Females are similarly coloured but not quite as bright. When spawning, the colouration of the males becomes more intense. The upper part of the head and body become very dark and a vivid orange coloured nape band is flashed on and off on top of the head.
Distribution
Found in a relatively small area of the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea between Mendi and Lake Kutubu. They have been collected from small headwaters tributaries in the Purari River system, including Omei Creek, a tributary of the Ka River, 15-km south of Mendi, and streams near Pimaga (about 13-km southeast of Lake Kutubu).
Habitat & Ecology
A stream-dwelling species generally inhabiting the slower flowing regions of swift flowing streams. They are usually found along grassy banks, or around sub-surface vegetation, submerged logs, and branches. Water temperature recorded from their natural habitat was 18° Celsius and pH 7.6. However, temperatures have been known to drop to 16° Celsius.
Melanotaenia monticola may reach a maximum size of 12 cm, but usually less than 10 cm. Spawning females produce between 100 and 200 eggs. Eggs adhere to water plants and hatching occurs around 9 to 12 days at temperatures between 24 to 28° Celsius. The stomach content analyses of some wild caught specimens indicated a diet consisting primarily of aquatic insect larvae and small crustaceans.
Remarks
Initially collected in September 1979 by Gerald Allen and Brian Parkinson from Omei Creek. Allen gave the species the scientific name of 'monticola' (Latin: mountain dwellers) with reference to the mountainous terrain of the type locality. Live specimens were collected by Barry Crockford from Omei Creek and introduced to the Australian aquarium hobby in 1983. During the mid 1990s, eggs were collected from a small stream near Lake Kutubu and brought back into Australia where they were subsequently hatched, reared and distributed in the hobby. This is another rainbowfish that has been in the aquarium hobby for a long time but has never been widely available.
© Copyright Adrian R. Tappin
Updated January, 2007.
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