Melanotaenia parva

Melanotaenia parva - photo© Joël Félix

Allen, 1990
Lake Kurumoi Rainbowfish

Species Summary
Melanotaenia parva are highly variable in colour. Males are either bluish to mauve with a black midlateral band or silver with red speckling and narrow red lines between each scale row on the side of the body. Females are less colourful. Fins of both varieties are red. May reach a maximum size of 9 cm, but usually less than 6 cm. Young males have a rosy-mauve body colour, that turns more and more bright orange-red as they grow.

Distribution & Habitat
Melanotaenia parva are known only from Lake Kurumoi situated in the Vogelkop Peninsula, West Papua. Lake Kurumoi is part of the Yakati River system.

Remarks
Gerald Allen found this species in 1989 during an expedition to nearby Bintuni Bay. Live specimens were collected by Heiko Bleher in 1999 and introduced to the aquarium hobby.

Literature
Allen, G. R. (1990). Les poissons arc-en-ciel (Melanotaeniidae) de la Péninsule de Vogelkop, Irian Jaya, avec description de trois nouvelles espèces. Revue française d'Aquariologie 16 (4): 101-112.

Allen, G.R. (1991) Field guide to the freshwater fishes of New Guinea. Christensen Research Institute, Madang, Papua New Guinea.

Mailliet, C. (2004). "Those little red fish" Melanotaenia parva and Glossolepis pseudoincisus. Fishes of Sahul 18(3): 58-67.