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| Melanotaenia caerulea - photo© Gerald Allen |
Allen, 1996
Blue Rainbowfish
Description
Bright iridescent blue on sides and back, becoming whitish or pink ventrally. Faint dark blue midlateral band on posterior half of body, about one scale row wide. Each horizontal scale row on blue portion of body separated by narrow pinkish-orange stripe. Short brown stripe about pupil width from rear of eye to area just above pectoral fin, frequently continuing as pair of narrow brown stripes on upper and lower edge of midlateral band, and linking posteriorly with dark blue midlateral band mentioned above. Fins are bluish to translucent, anterior edge of first dorsal fin and outer portions of second dorsal and anal fins sometimes reddish or dusky blackish in males. Pelvis fins mainly grey to reddish, but sometimes slightly dusky grey to reddish. Pectoral fins translucent.
Distribution
This species was collected in Papua New Guinea at several sites in the lower and middle Kikori drainage system, spanning a distance of approximately 125 km.
Habitat & Ecology
Inhabits small tributary streams flowing through rainforest, except at one location where it was collected in a small tidal creek-fed pond in open sunlight. May reach a maximum size of 8 cm, but usually less than 6 cm. Males are generally deeper bodied and have more elongated, somewhat pointed shape posteriorly on the soft dorsal and anal fin rays. Females have smaller rounded dorsal and anal fins.
Remarks
This species is named caerulea (Latin: blue) with reference to the characteristic colour pattern. This species is not currently available in the aquarium hobby.
© Copyright Adrian R. Tappin
Updated January, 2007.
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