Melanotaenia rumberponensis (male) - photo© Laurent Pouyaud

Melanotaenia rumberponensis

Species Summary
The dorsal part of the head and body of Melanotaenia rumberponensis is brownish with a yellowish belly. A continuous black midlateral line, covering 3 scales wide runs from the upper edge of the preopercle to the caudal-fin base. The pectoral fins are translucent; remaining fins yellow. There is no marginal stripe on the dorsal and anal fins. A faint blue blotch extends from the pectoral fin base to the middle of the anal fin. The colour of the females with equal intensity. Males have longer fins than females and have a tendency to be deeper bodied and to have a deeper caudal peduncle. The species is named rumberponensis, in reference to Rumberpon Island.

Distribution & Habitat
Melanotaenia rumberponensis is currently known only from Rumberpon Island, Cendrawasih Bay. The collecting locality was situated in a swamp drained by a small creek of 5 metres in width flowing in the central part of the island. The stream was flowing through primary forest habitat over muddy substrate with aquatic vegetation.

Literature
Nugraha M.F.I., Kadarusman, N. Hubert, J.C. Avarre, R.K. Hadiaty, J. Slembrouck, O. Carman, Sudarto, R. Ogistira and L. Pouyaud (2015) Eight new species of Rainbowfishes (Melanotaeniidae) from the Birds Head Region, West Papua, Indonesia. Cybium 39(2): 99-130.

Adrian R. Tappin
July, 2015