Melanotaenia maccullochi

Melanotaenia maccullochi
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Atheriniformes
Family:	Melanotaeniidae
Genus:	Melanotaenia
Species:	M. maccullochi
Binomial name
Melanotaenia maccullochi Ogilby, 1915

Melanotaenia maccullochi, the dwarf rainbowfish or McCulloch's rainbowfish, is a species of rainbow fish in the family Melanotaeniidae. It was described by James Douglas Ogilby in 1915 when he received two samples from Mr. A. Anderson and the fish was named after the ichthyologist Allan Riverstone McCulloch.

Habitat

Melanotaenia maccullochi lives in swamps, streams and creeks with a pH of about 5.5 to 7. Its preferred water temperature is about 5.5 to 7.

Range

Melanotaenia maccullochi lives across Northeastern Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Captivity

Melanotaenia maccullochi is often kept as an aquarium fish. It is fed frozen foods, flakes and granules. They readily breed in captivity.

Size

Melanotaenia maccullochi gets up to about 7.5 cm. However, when they become five months old (the time they reach sexual maturity) they are about 3 cm.

Dimorphism

Melanotaenia maccullochi males are generally more colourful than their female counterparts.

Diet

Melanotaenia maccullochi is an omnivore, feeding on aquatic invertebrates, algae and terrestrial invertebrates.

Breeding

Although not much is known about these fish in the wild, breeding activities have been seen in captivity, where they readily breed. Spawning generally occurs in the early morning, the two fish will press against each other, trembling, and eggs will be deposited among the plants.