Banded Rainbowfish, Melanotaenia trifasciata (Rendahl 1922)

Banded Rainbowfish, Melanotaenia trifasciata, Gulbuwangay Creek form, Northern Territory. Source: Dave Wilson / http://www.aquagreen.com.au/. License: All rights reserved
This popular aquarium fish is variable in colour - often greenish to bluish on the back and sides, and silvery to whitish on the breast, belly and lower part of the head, with a dark midlateral stripe and yellowish to bright red dorsal, anal and caudal fins.
Video of Banded Rainbowfish in an aquarium
Video of Banded Rainbowfish in the Territory Wildlife Part, NT
Banded Rainbowfish, Melanotaenia trifasciata (Rendahl 1922)
More Info
Distribution |
Endemic to the Northern Territory and Queensland. Known from the Mary River, the Goyder River, the Giddy River and Yirrkala in the Northern Territory, and the Archer River to the Jardine River on the western side of Cape York Peninsula extending down the east side to Iron Range, with isolated populations further south in the wet tropics. The Banded Rainbowfish prefers small shady streams and deep shady pools with rocky or gravelly bottoms and thick vegetation. |
Features |
Meristic features: Dorsal fin V-VI; I, 12-16; Anal fin I, 18-23; Pectoral fin 14-17 |
Size |
To 13 cm SL, commonly to 8 cm. |
Colour |
Colour varies greatly with geographic locality; often greenish blue overall and silvery-white ventrally; indigo or blue black stripe often present mid-laterally; median fins various shades of yellow to bright red. |
Feeding |
Omnivores - feed on filamentous algae, aquatic and terrestrial insects, micro-crustaceans and other small invertebrates. |
Biology |
Reproduction occurs throughout the year. Females spawn 60-70 eggs per spawning, depositing them into aquatic vegetation. |
Remarks |
The common name Bedjal is the Yolngu word for the Banded Rainbowfish from Gulbuwangay, a small creek running into the Arafura Swamp near Mirrngatja, a small village on the SE corner of the Arafura Swamp (Dave Wilson, Aquagreen). |
Species Citation |
Rhombosoma trifasciata Rendahl, 1922, Meddr. Zool. Mus. Kristiania 5: 182. Type locality: Mary River, Northern Territory |
Author |
Gomon, M.F. & Bray, D.J. 2017 |
Resources |
Banded Rainbowfish, Melanotaenia trifasciata (Rendahl 1922)
References
Allen, G.R. 1978. The rainbowfishes of northwestern Australia (family Melanotaeniidae). Tropical Fish Hobbyist 26(10): 91-102 figs 1-15
Allen, G.R. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Neptune, New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 240 pp., 63 pls.
Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp.
Allen, G.R. & Cross, N.J. 1982. Rainbowfishes of Australia and Papua-New Guinea. New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 142 pp. figs.
Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293
Larson, H.K. & Martin, K.C. 1990. Freshwater Fishes of the Northern Territory. Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences Handbook Series Number 1. Darwin : Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences 102 pp. 73 figs.
Leggett, R. & Merrick, J.R. 1987. Australian Native Fishes for Aquariums. Artarmon : J.R. Merrick Publications 241 pp. 142 figs.
Martin, K.C. & Barclay, S. 2013. New distribution records for the Cairns rainbowfish Cairnsichthys rhombosomoides (Melanotaeniidae): implications for conservation of a restricted northern population. Aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology 19(3): 155-164
Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes Biology and Management. Sydney : J.R. Merrick 409 pp. figs 280 col. figs.
Pollard, J. (ed.) 1980. G.P. Whitley's Handbook of Australian Fishes. North Sydney : Jack Pollard Publishing Pty Ltd 629 pp.
Rendahl, H. 1922. A contribution to the ichthyology of north-west Australia. Meddelelser fra det Zoologiske Museum. Kristiania 5: 163-197 figs 1-6