Dwarf rainbowfish

The dwarf rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecox) is a species of rainbowfish in the subfamily Melanotaeniinae, also commonly known as the neon rainbowfish. It is endemic to the Mamberamo River basin in West Papua in Indonesia[2] and common in the aquarium trade.[3]

Dwarf rainbowfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Atheriniformes
Family: Melanotaeniidae
Genus: Melanotaenia
Species:
M. praecox
Binomial name
Melanotaenia praecox
Synonyms[2]

Rhombatractus praecox Weber & de Beaufort, 1922

Introduction
A pair of male dwarf neon rainbows in a home aquarium

The dwarf rainbowfish occupies small, slow-moving tributaries in regions with rainforest.[4] It generally reaches up to 5 cm (2.0 in) in length,[2] but there are reports of individuals up to 8 cm (3.1 in).[3] M. praecox is considered to be an omnivorous species. Males tend to be brighter in color and have deeper bodies than the females. This species' is considered to be an egg-scatterer, so it is easy to breed.[3] Their bodies are bright blue and iridescent, and their fins are colorful. This species is active and is known to jump out of water.[5] They are native to a tropical climate. This species is harmless to humans, and is used commercially for aquariums and commerce.[6] They are known to be found in freshwater environments within a benthopelagic range.[2]

References
  1. Allen, G.R. & Kadarusman. (2020). "Melanotaenia praecox". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T13074A147688071.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). "Melanotaenia praecox" in FishBase. April 2019 version.
  3. "Melanotaenia praecox Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish". Seriously FIsh. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  4. "Melanotaenia praecox". Home of the Rainbowfish. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  5. "Melanotaenia praecox". Animal-World. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  6. "Dwarf rainbowfish (Melanotaenia praecox) fish profile". Guppies.ZA. Retrieved 10 April 2013.


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