Rainbow fish

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Rainbow fish
Salmon red rainbow fish (Glossolepis incisus)

Salmon red rainbow fish ( Glossolepis incisus )

Systematics
Spinefish (Acanthopterygii)
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Ovalentaria
Superordinate : Earfish relatives (Atherinomorphae)
Order : Earfish (Atheriniformes)
Family : Rainbow fish
Scientific name
Melanotaeniidae
Gill , 1894

The rainbow fish (Melanotaeniidae, Greek melan, -anos = black + Latin taenia = stripes) are a family of mostly small, often colorful, secondary freshwater fish that are endemic to Australia and New Guinea and some of the offshore islands .

features

Rainbow fish are generally taller, especially in old age, and more colorful than the earfish related to them . Their body is slightly flattened on the sides and reaches lengths between four and twelve centimeters, depending on the species. The head is more or less pointed, the eyes large. The mouth is relatively small, the lips thickened, and the jaws have one or two rows of teeth. In many species there is a sexual dimorphism , the males are usually more colorful and sometimes have elongated fin rays .

The two dorsal fins are clearly separated, but are close together. The first is supported by three to seven fin spines, the second by a strong fin spine and 6 to 22 divided soft rays. The fin spine is missing in Cairnsichthys and Iriatherina . The anal fin has 10 to 30 fin rays, in some genera there is a strong fin spine in front. The innermost fin ray of the pelvic fins is connected to the body over its entire length by a fin membrane. The sideline is absent or limited to a few shallow pits in a few sheds. The scales are relatively large, in a middle row one counts 28 to 60. The region between the base of the pelvic fin and the anus is scaly. The number of vertebrae is from 27 to 38.

Systematics

The rainbow fish family belongs to the order of the ear fish-like (Atheriniformes).

External system

According to the latest scientific research, there is a close relationship to the Bedotiidae (endemic to Madagascar), as well as the Telmatherinidae (found in Sulawesi and New Guinea) and the Pseudomugilidae (found in Australia and New Guinea). They were placed with these families in the new suborder Melanotaenioidei within the Atheriniformes.

Internal system

Relationships within the rainbow fish family:
  Melanotaeniidae  

 Cairnsichthys


   

 Rhadinocentrus


   

 Iriatherina


   
  West  clade  

 Melanotaenia vom Vogelkop


   
  North clade  

 Chilatherina ,  Glossolepis,  and some
  Melanotaenia from Northern New Guinea


  South clade  

 Melanotaenia from Australia and
 South New Guinea







There are about 100 species of rainbow fish in 7 genera scientifically described. In addition, there are around a dozen new discoveries that have been discovered in recent years, especially in the western part of New Guinea, but have not yet been described as a species by science.

Rhadinocentrus ornatus

use

Representatives of the Melanotaeniidae are excellent and increasingly popular aquarium fish . Only a few species have an - albeit minor - significance as food fish for the local indigenous population.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Dyer, BS & B. Chernoff. 1996. Phylogenetic relationships among atheriniform fishes (Teleostei: Atherinomorpha) Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 117: 1-69
  2. ^ Sparks, JS & WL Smith. 2004. Phylogeny and biogeography of the Malagasy and Australasian rainbowfishes (Teleostei: Melanotaenioidei): Gondwanan vicariance and evolution in freshwater. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 33 (3): 719-734.
  3. ^ Unmack, Allen, Johnson: Phylogeny and biogeography of rainbowfishes (Melanotaeniidae) from Australia and New Guinea . In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . tape 67 , 2013, p. 15-27 .

literature

Web links

Commons : Melanotaeniidae  - collection of images, videos and audio files