Melanotaenia exquisita, Exquisite rainbowfish

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Melanotaenia exquisita Allen, 1978

Exquisite rainbowfish
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drawing shows typical species in Melanotaeniidae.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Atheriniformes (Silversides) > Melanotaeniidae (Rainbowfishes, blue eyes)
Etymology: Melanotaenia: Greek, melan, -anos = black + latin, taenia = stripe (Ref. 45335).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical; 24°C - 30°C (Ref. 2060); 12°S - 16°S

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Oceania: occurs in the Edith River Gorge and Lake Malkyyllumbo (Edith Falls National Park), upper south Alligator River system and Moline Pool (Mary River system), Northern Territory, Australia. Edith River is a tributary of the Daly River system, 230 km southeast of Darwin.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 7.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 44894); 5.0 cm SL (female)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Inhabits steep gradient streams with numerous cascades and normally crystal clear water. Tends to congregate in pools at the base of small waterfalls where flow is rapid but is also found in quieter sections of streams and lakes. Prefers areas fully exposed to sunlight. Found in small, clear, swift-flowing streams, occasionally seen above high waterfalls. Also occurs in a lacustrine environment at the base of Edith Falls (Northern Territory) (Ref. 44894). Feeds mainly on aquatic and terrestrial insects and their larvae, also on green algae. Sympatric with M. splendida australis. A good aquarium fish, typical of most rainbowfishes in this respect. Should probably be provided with more space and additional aeration than is usually recommended for fish of this size due to its fast swimming habits and affinity for well-oxygenated waters at the base of waterfalls and rapids (Ref. 44894).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Distinct pairing (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Allen, G.R., 1989. Freshwater fishes of Australia. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey. (Ref. 5259)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 15 February 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration
Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Spawning aggregation
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development
Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance
BRUVS
References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
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Heritability
Diseases
Processing
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Mass conversion
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Pictures
Stamps, Coins Misc.
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
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Tools

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00244 - 0.04107), b=3.04 (2.81 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  2.9   ±0.34 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Low vulnerability (10 of 100).