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Weber, 1911
Senckenberg Rainbowfish
Species Summary
Melanotaenia senckenbergianus males are greenish-brown on the top of the head, nape and uppermost part of the back; lower half of head grey to slightly yellow; operculum silvery or metallic yellow with red spot about one-half pupil size; iris mainly yellow; side of body generally yellow with dark grey to blue midlateral stripe (1-2 scales wide) and large patch of light blue just behind and mainly below pectoral-fin base; faint reddish stripe usually evident between each scale row of side; median fins generally semitranslucent, but frequently with yellow to red suffusion (especially caudal); pelvic fins white to yellowish; pectoral fins translucent. Freshly collected live fish photographed in an aquarium with similar pattern except dark midlateral stripe often edged with more prominent red stripes and/or with relatively broad, pale yellow to whitish stripe above and below, especially noticeable on rear portion of body, including caudal peduncle.
This species was named senckenbergianus, presumably after the Senckenberg Museum of Frankfurt, Germany, publisher of the journal where the original description of this fish first appeared.
Distribution & Habitat
Melanotaenia senckenbergianus appears to be widespread on southern Aru, occurring in nearly all freshwater streams sampled to date on Trangan and southern Kobroor, which are the largest islands in the main Aru Group. The habitat consists of creeks and small rivers flowing through primary rainforest and second growth forest and gardens, as well as tree-lined creeks in relatively open savannah. In streams of Trangan and two sites sampled on southern Kobroor it co-occurred with species of either M. albimarginata, M. aruensis, or M. patoti as well as other fishes such as Craterocephalus, Mogurnda, Glossamia, and Glossogobius.
Literature
Allen G.R., R.K. Hadiaty, P.J. Unmack and M.V. Erdmann (2015) Rainbowfishes (Melanotaenia: Melanotaeniidae) of the Aru Islands, Indonesia with descriptions of five new species and redescription of M. patoti Weber and M. senckenbergianus Weber. aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology 21(2): 66-108.
Weber M. (1911) Die Fische der Aru-und Kei-Inseln. Ein Beitrag zur Zoolographie dieser Inseln. Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft Frankfurt-a.-M. 34 (1): 1-49.
Adrian R. Tappin
June, 2015
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