Melanotaenia vanheurni

Melanotaenia vanheurni - photo© Gerald Allen

(Weber and de Beaufort, 1922)
Van Heurn's Rainbowfish

Species Summary
Melanotaenia vanheurni are brown or olive on the back and yellow on the lower sides. There is a prominent blue-black, midlateral band with a broad pale yellow to white line along its upper and lower margin. Spawning males display a pulsing glow of golden yellow on top of the head. They may reach a maximum size of 20 cm, but usually less than 15 cm. It is the largest member of the rainbowfish family.

Distribution & Habitat
Mamberamo River system of northern West Papua. They have been collected from small clear water streams flowing through rainforest mainly close to foothills around the periphery of the Mamberamo Plains. They are abundant in slow to relatively swift flowing streams with rock and sandy bottoms. It shares this habitat with Chilatherina fasciata. Temperature and pH values range between 25~28° Celsius and 7.1~7.5.

Remarks
Melanotaenia vanheurni were first collected in the Mamberamo Valley by W. C. van Heurn in 1920 during the Dutch Northern New Guinea Expedition (Mamberamo Expedition) of 1920-1921. It was not seen again until David Price collected it 70 years later. This species is not currently available in the international aquarium hobby, although live specimens were reportedly imported into Germany during 1992 by Heiko Bleher. However, they have been maintained locally by David Price in West Papua.

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

Allen G. R. (1995). Rainbowfishes in Nature and in the Aquarium. (Tetra-Verlag: Germany).

Weber, M. and L. F. de Beaufort (1922). The fishes of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. IV. Heteromi, Solenichthyes, Synentognathi, Percesoces, Labyrinthici, Microcyprini. E. J. Brill, Ltd. Leiden.