Species Melanotaenia australis (Castelnau, 1875)

Museums

Regional Maps

External Links

• Neoatherina australis Castelnau, F.L. de 1875. Researches on the fishes of Australia. Intercolonial Exhibition Essays. 2. pp. 1–52 in, Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876 : Official Record. Melbourne. [32].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) MNHP 4566, Swan River Colony, WA.
• Melanotaenia solata Taylor, W.R. 1964. Fishes of Arnhem Land. Records of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land 4: 44-307 figs 1-68 [129, pl. 21].

  Type data:

   Holotype AM IB.5236, Groote Eylandt, NT.
  Paratype(s) AM IB.7307; USNM 173758; USNM 173759.

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• 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 [59]

 

Generic Combinations

• Nematocentris australis (Castelnau, 1875). —
  Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [39] (640, changed combination cited)
• Melanotaenia australis (Castelnau, 1875). —
  Whitley, G.P. 1959. Fresh water fishes of Australia. Finchat 4(8): 11-13 [11]
• Melanotaenia splendida australis (Castelnau, 1875). —
  Allen, G.R. 1982. Inland Fishes of Western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 86 pp. 6 figs 20 pls. [39]
  Allen, G.R. & Cross, N.J. 1982. Rainbowfishes of Australia and Papua-New Guinea. New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 142 pp. figs. [56]
  Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes Biology and Management. Sydney : J.R. Merrick 409 pp. figs 280 col. figs. [167]
  Allen, G.R. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Neptune, New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 240 pp., 63 pls. [75]
  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. [23]

 

Miscellaneous Literature Names

• Nematocentrus australis (Castelnau, 1875) [misspelling of generic name Nematocentris]. —
  Lake, J.S. 1971. Freshwater Fishes and Rivers of Australia. Melbourne : Nelson 61 pp. [27]
• Melanotaenia nigrans (Richardson, 1843). —
  McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part I. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 1–144 [112] (a misidentification, in part)

 

Introduction

The species was at one time regarded as a subspecies of Melanotaenia splendida. Melanotaenia solata was previously considered to be a synonym of Melanotaenia australis, but molecular studies supported its recognition as a distinct species (see discussion in McGuigan et al 2000). However, more recent genetic work by P. Unmack indicates that the two are identical.

 

Distribution

States

Northern Territory, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Pilbara region of WA between Ashburton River (24º00´S) and De Grey River (20º40´S), north-western Australia between Fitzroy River, WA (123º42´E) and South Alligator River, NT (132º23´E) and south to Lake Woods, NT (17º38'S), Arnhem Land between the South Alligator River (132º16'E) and Walker River (135º46'E), and Groote Eylandt and Bickerton Island, Gulf of Carpentaria; tropical

Australian Endemic.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones

IBRA

NT, WA: Arnhem Coast (ARC), Arnhem Plateau (ARP), Central Arnhem (CA), Carnarvon (CAR), Central Kimberley (CK), Daly Basin (DAB), Darwin Coastal (DAC), Dampierland (DL), Gascoyne (GAS), Northern Kimberley (NK), Ord Victoria Plain (OVP), Pine Creek (PCK), Pilbara (PIL), Sturt Plateau (STU), Tiwi Cobourg (TIW), Victoria Bonaparte (VB)

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

• Australia
  • Northern Territory: N coastal
  • Western Australia: N coastal, NW coastal

Distribution References

Ecological Descriptors

Freshwater.

 

General References

Allen, G.R. 1978. The rainbowfishes of northwestern Australia (family Melanotaeniidae). Tropical Fish Hobbyist 26(10): 91-102 figs 1-15 [95]

Allen, G.R. 1982. Inland Fishes of Western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 86 pp. 6 figs 20 pls. [39] (as Melanotaenia splendida australis)

Allen, G.R. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Neptune, New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 240 pp., 63 pls. [102] (Melanotaenia splendida australis)

Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp. [145] (and p. 156 as Melanotaenia solata)

Allen, G.R. & Cross, N.J. 1982. Rainbowfishes of Australia and Papua-New Guinea. New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 142 pp. figs. [56] (as Melanotaenia splendida australis)

Lake, J.S. 1978. Australian Freshwater Fishes. Melbourne : Thomas Nelson 160 pp. 140 figs. [37] (as Nematocentris australis)

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. [23] (as Melanotaenia splendida australis)

Leggett, R. & Merrick, J.R. 1987. Australian Native Fishes for Aquariums. Artarmon : J.R. Merrick Publications 241 pp. 142 figs. [152]

McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part I. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 1–144 [112] (as Melanotaenia nigrans, in part)

McGuigan, K.M., Zhu, D., Allen, G.R. & Moritz, C. 2000. Phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeography of melanotaeniid fishes in Australia and New Guinea. Marine and Freshwater Research 51: 713-723

Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes Biology and Management. Sydney : J.R. Merrick 409 pp. figs 280 col. figs. [167]

Munro, I.S.R. 1961. Handbook of Australian fishes. Nos 1–42. Australian Fisheries Newsletter 15–17, 19, 20: 1-172 [published as separates 1956–1961] [96] (663)

Phillips, R.D., Storey, A.W. & Johnson, M.S. 2009. Genetic structure of Melanotaenia australis at local and regional scales in the east Kimberley, Western Australia. Journal of Fish Biology 74: 437-451

Whitley, G.P. 1959. Fresh water fishes of Australia. Finchat 4(8): 11-13 [11]

Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [39] (640)

 

Common Name References

Allen, G.R. 1982. Inland Fishes of Western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 86 pp. 6 figs 20 pls. [39] (Western Rainbowfish)

Allen, G.R. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Neptune, New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 240 pp., 63 pls. [102] (Australian Rainbowfish)

Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp. [156] (as Melanotaenia solata) (Northern Rainbowfish)

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. [23] (Red-tailed Rainbowfish)

Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes Biology and Management. Sydney : J.R. Merrick 409 pp. figs 280 col. figs. [167] (Western Rainbow Fish)

Munro, I.S.R. 1961. Handbook of Australian fishes. Nos 1–42. Australian Fisheries Newsletter 15–17, 19, 20: 1-172 [published as separates 1956–1961] [96] (Western Australian Jewel-fish, Western Australian Sun-fish)

Seafood Services Australia 2008. Australian Fish Names Standard. http://www.fishnames.com.au/. (Western Rainbowfish)

Whitley, G.P. 1959. Fresh water fishes of Australia. Finchat 4(8): 11-13 [11] (Westralian Sunfish)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
21-Jul-2014	ATHERINIFORMES	22-Jun-2016	MODIFIED	Dr Doug Hoese
		12-Feb-2010	(import)