Rainbowfish
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This article is about the freshwater fish. For the children's book, see The Rainbow Fish.
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.
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Subfamilies ...
Rainbowfish | |
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Boeseman's rainbowfish, Melanotaenia boesemani, male. | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
(unranked): | Ovalentaria |
(unranked): | Atherinomorpha |
Order: | Atheriniformes |
Suborder: | Atherinoidei |
Family: | Melanotaeniidae T. N. Gill, 1894 |
Subfamilies | |
See text |
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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.