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Family

Melanotaeniidae

19 species

Rainbowfishes are small, colourful freshwater fishes belonging to the family Melanotaeniidae, found in northern and eastern Australia, New Guinea (including islands in Cenderawasih Bay and Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia), Sulawesi and Madagascar.

The largest rainbowfish genus, Melanotaenia, derives from the ancient Greek melano (black) and taenia (banded). Translated, it means "black-banded", and is a reference to the often striking lateral black bands that run along the bodies of those in the genus Melanotaenia.

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Boeseman's rainbowfish

Melanotaenia boesemani

Boeseman's rainbowfish (Melanotaenia boesemani), also known as the Boesemani rainbowfish, is a species of fish in the family Melanotaeniidae.

Dwarf rainbowfish

Melanotaenia praecox

The dwarf rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecox) is a species of rainbowfish in the subfamily Melanotaeniinae. It is known under a number of common names including diamond rainbowfish, neon rainbowfish, Praecox rainbowfish, dwarf neon rainbowfish,...

Pacific blue-eye

Pseudomugil signifer

The Pacific blue-eye (Pseudomugil signifer) is a species of fish in the subfamily Pseudomugilinae native to eastern Australia. Described by Austrian naturalist Rudolf Kner in 1866, it comprises two subspecies that have been regarded as separate...

Zona

Bedotia geayi

The red-tailed silverside, or zona (Bedotia geayi) is a species of Madagascar rainbowfish endemic to the Mananjary River drainage in Madagascar. It is threatened by habitat loss and introduced species. It has often been confused with the related B....

Threadfin rainbowfish

Iriatherina werneri

The threadfin rainbowfish or featherfin rainbowfish (Iriatherina werneri) is a rainbowfish, the only species in the genus Iriatherina. It is characterized by long beautiful fins, and is among the most attractive of the rainbowfishes.It is native to...

Murray River rainbowfish

Melanotaenia fluviatilis

The Murray River rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis), known less commonly as the Australian rainbowfish, is a species of freshwater fish endemic to southeastern Australia. The southernmost species of all rainbowfishes, these fish are very...

Celebes rainbowfish

Marosatherina ladigesi

The Celebes rainbowfish (Marosatherina ladigesi) is a species of sailfin silverside endemic to Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes) in Indonesia. It is the only known member of its genus.

Spotted blue-eye

Pseudomugil gertrudae

The spotted blue-eye (Pseudomugil gertrudae) is a species of fish in the family Pseudomugilidae. It is native to Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. It adapts readily to captivity and can be kept in a small freshwater aquarium.

Red rainbowfish

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...

Forktail blue-eye

Pseudomugil furcatus

The forktail blue-eye (Pseudomugil furcatus) is a diminutive species of rainbowfish in the subfamily Pseudomugilinae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea, south-east of Popondetta, where it is found in rainforest streams.It used to be placed in the...

Melanotaenia duboulayi

Melanotaenia duboulayi, the crimson-spotted rainbowfish, less commonly known as the Duboulay's rainbowfish, is a species of freshwater fish endemic to coastal eastern Australia, although M. duboulayi has also been kept as an aquarium fish since the...

Red neon blue-eye

Pseudomugil luminatus

The red neon blue-eye (Pseudomugil luminatus) is a species of fish in the subfamily Pseudomugilinae. It has only been recorded from swamps in the vicinity of Timika in Papua, Indonesia.

Bedotia madagascariensis

Bedotia madagascariensis (zona) is a species of fish in the family Bedotiidae. It is endemic to Madagascar, where found in rivers and lakes between the Ivoloina River and the Manambolo Creek. It is commonly seen in the aquarium trade, where it often...

Lake Kutubu rainbowfish

Melanotaenia lacustris

The Lake Kutubu rainbowfish (Melanotaenia lacustris) is a species of fish in the family Melanotaeniidae. It is also known as turquoise rainbowfish. It is one of 13fish endemic to Lake Kutubu, a lake found within the Kikori River system in Papua New...

Honey blue-eye

Pseudomugil mellis

The honey blue-eye (Pseudomugil mellis) is an endangered species of fish in the subfamily Pseudomugilinae. It is endemic to southeastern Queensland, Australia, where it is found in mildly acidic, often tannin-stained, ponds and streams in wallum...

Eastern rainbowfish

Melanotaenia splendida splendida

Melanotaenia splendida splendida, also known as the eastern rainbowfish, is a subspecies of fish in the family Melanotaeniidae endemic to Australia.The Eastern rainbowfish is widespread on the mainland, and is found in river systems east of the...

Lake Eacham rainbowfish

Melanotaenia eachamensis

The Lake Eacham rainbowfish (Melanotaenia eachamensis) is a species of rainbowfish in the subfamily Melanotaeniidae which was thought to be endemic to Yidyam (Lake Eacham), Queensland, Australia but has proven to have a wider range.

Red-finned blue-eye

Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis

The red-finned blue-eye (Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis) is a tiny, critically endangered species of fish in the family Pseudomugilidae. It is the only species in its genus. The species was first recorded in 1990. It is endemic to central...

Ornate rainbowfish

Rhadinocentrus ornatus

The ornate rainbowfish (Rhadinocentrus ornatus) is a species of rainbowfish endemic to an area in eastern Australia, where it is native to coastal regions and sandy offshore islands in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. It is the only...