Red rainbowfish

Red rainbowfish

Salmon-red rainbowfish

Kingdom
Phylum
Genus
SPECIES
Glossolepis incisus

The red rainbowfish or salmon-red rainbowfish (Glossolepis incisa) is a species of rainbowfish from Lake Sentani in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. Belonging to the family Melanotaeniidae, in the subfamily Melanotaeniinae, the Australian rainbowfishes. It is threatened in its native range, but easily bred in captivity and common in the aquarium trade.

Appearance

The males are bright red and with age grow a high back. The females are olive brown in colour. Their colours change depending on their mood, but subordinate males do not display bright colours. They grow up to 15 cm (5.9 in) in size, but typically attain a smaller size of around 12 cm (4.7 in).

Distribution

Geography

Continents
Subcontinents
Countries
Regions
Biogeographical realms

This species is endemic to Lake Sentani and its tributaries near Jayapura in Papua, Indonesia (a range it shares with the related Chilatherina sentaniensis).

Habits and Lifestyle

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Glossolepis incisus is an omnivore and in captivity it will eat most common commercial aquarium foods readily. It may be slightly more carnivorous than most of the Australian rainbowfish.

Mating Habits

They are an egg scattering species and they scatter their eggs among clumps of vegetation. The eggs take about 7 days to hatch.

Population

Population number

The IUCN Red List classifies Glossolepis incisa as endangered. This is because of the rapidly increasing human population around this fish's only natural habitat and introduced species such as tilapia.

References

1. Red rainbowfish Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_rainbowfish
2. Red rainbowfish on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/9268/147681075

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