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| Melanotaenia parkinsoni - photo© Neil Armstrong |
Allen, 1980
Parkinson's Rainbowfish
Description
Melanotaenia parkinsoni have an overall silvery body colour with a rosy chest and narrow orange stripes between the scale rows. The fins of adult males are bright orange with dark edges. Mature males can be magnificent and usually have sweeping blotchy orange colouration on the posterior area of the body, giving an overall patchy appearance. Females are rather plain in comparison. Some males also develop large extended dorsal and anal fins with a ragged appearance. Another colour variety exists with bright yellow stripes or blotches instead of orange. Sometimes the stripes or blotches fuse to form an overall colouration, which covers the entire posterior half of the body.
Distribution
This species was first discovered in October 1978 by Gerry Allen and were found along the southern coast of eastern Papua New Guinea between the Kemp River and Milne Bay. They were collected in only a few interspersed locations, but in all probability, could be widespread within this region. Gerry Allen collected specimens from two small tributaries of the Kemp Welsh River a short distance inland from the coast and about 75 kilometres southeast of Port Moresby, and from a small stream about 3 kilometres west of Alotau at the extreme eastern tip of mainland Papua New Guinea.
Habitat & Ecology
Most of the original specimens collected were taken from a small stream that was mainly dry except for the occasional isolated pool. The stream was situated in grassy plains habitat with patchy rainforest immediately adjacent to the creek. The temperature and pH range recorded from this habitat was 27-30° Celsius and 7.6-7.8. Melanotaenia parkinsoni may reach a maximum size of 15 cm, but usually less than 12 cm. Spawning females producing between 20-50 eggs each day for several days. Eggs adhere to fine-leaved plants or among the roots of floating vegetation. Hatching occurs in about 8 to 10 days at temperatures between 24-28° Celsius.
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| Melanotaenia parkinsoni - photo© Neil Armstrong |
Remarks
Named in honour of Brian Parkinson, a regular companion of Allen's on numerous collecting trips to Papua New Guinea.
© Copyright Adrian R. Tappin
Updated January, 2007.
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