Melanotaenia japenensis - photo© Gerald Allen

Melanotaenia japenensis

Species Summary
Melanotaenia japenensis have an overall mauve colouration with silvery reflections on the back and sides. There is a red-orange horizontal stripe between each scale row on the body. Males have red-orange dorsal, anal, and caudal fins. Growing to a length of around 11 cm, males are usually deeper bodied than females.

Distribution & Habitat
Collected near Serui, Japen Island. Japen Island (also called Yapen Island) is situated in the gulf (Teluk Sarera) on the north coast of West Papua. Rocky rainforest streams at lower elevations on the southern side of Japen Island. Temperature and pH recorded at the collection sites were 24~28°C and 7.2~7.8.

Remarks
This species was first collected in May 1955 by M. Boeseman from the Leiden Museum. David Price who does missionary work on Japen Island collected specimens for his own aquarium, but this species is still unavailable in the general hobby. Named japenensis with reference to the Japen Island, the type locality and only known collection site for this species thus far.

Literature
Allen, G. R. and N. J. Cross (1980). Descriptions of five new rainbowfishes (Melanotaeniidae) from New Guinea. Records of the Western Australian Museum 8 (3): 377-396.

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

© Copyright Adrian R. Tappin
Updated January, 2007.