Melanotaenia splendida
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Eastern rainbow fish ( Melanotaenia splendida splendida ) |
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| Melanotaenia splendida | ||||||||||||
| ( Peters , 1866) |
Melanotaenia splendida (Latin: "spledidus" = radiant, shiny) is a freshwater fish species from the rainbow fish family(Melanotaeniidae) that occurs in northern, northeastern and central Australia.
features
Melanotaenia splendida is usually 11 to 15 cm long. The length of the longest male captured so far is 20 cm. Depending on the population and location, the animals tend more or less to be raised. The coloration also varies. Most populations are silver-gray and have little pattern of markings. The fins are usually clearly patterned in color. During courtship, the males show a forehead stripe. Females are generally slightly smaller, less high-backed, paler, and have smaller fins.
Subspecies
Melanotaenia splendida is divided into several subspecies that are difficult to distinguish from one another. Melanotaenia fluviatilis and Melanotaenia rubrostriata are now viewed as separate species.
- Pied rainbow fish ( Melanotaenia splendida inornata ( Castelnau , 1875)), lives in Northern Australia in the Mary River , in rivers that flow into the Gulf of Carpentaria and on the western side of the Cape York Peninsula . Males of this subspecies are particularly high back in old age.
- Fin formula : dorsal 1 V – VII, dorsal 2 I / 9–12, anal I / 17–21, pectoral 12–16.
- Scale formula : mLR 31-35; QR 10-12.
- Eastern rainbow fish ( Melanotaenia splendida splendida ( Peters , 1866)) lives in Queensland in the river systems east of the Great Dividing Range in the north from the eastern Cape York Peninsula to the Boyne River . The subspecies has formed many local populations that differ in color from each other.
- Fins formula: dorsal V – VII, dorsal 2 I / 9–13, anal I / 16–21, pectoral 11–16.
- Scale formula: mLR 33-36; QR 10-12.
- Desert rainbow fish ( Melanotaenia splendida tatei ( Zietz , 1896)), a silver-gray, high-backed rainbow fish with unpaired yellow fins. Lives in Central Australia in rivers that flow into Lake Eyre ( Diamantina River , Cooper Creek , Finke River , Georgina River ).
- Fins formula: dorsal V – VII, dorsal 2 I / 8–11, anal I / 17–21, pectoral 13–16.
- Scale formula: mLR 34-37; QR 10-12.
Way of life
Melanotaenia splendida lives in rivers, streams and lakes, is common in its habitat and often forms large swarms near the surface of the water. The temperature in its living waters is between 20 and 29 ° C, the pH value between 5.3 and 8.5. The water can be clear or cloudy. Like all rainbow fish, Melanotaenia splendida is a free spawner . The spawn is released over a period of about a week. Few large eggs are released every day that are provided with adhesive threads and stick to plants. The fry hatch after 5 to 10 days.
literature
- Peter Schubert: Rainbow fish. Urania-Verlag, 1991, ISBN 3-332-00469-7 .
- Günther Sterba : The world's freshwater fish. 2nd Edition. Urania, Leipzig / Jena / Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-332-00109-4 .
- Peter Schubert: Melanotaenia splendida. In: Claus Schaefer, Torsten Schröer (Hrsg.): The large lexicon of aquaristics. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-7497-9 , p. 639.
Web links
- Melanotaenia splendida on Fishbase.org (English)