About Melanotaenia australis (Castelnau, 1875)
Melanotaenia australis, commonly known as the western rainbowfish, is a freshwater rainbowfish species endemic to Australia. Its native range covers the Kimberley, Pilbara, and Top End regions of north-western Australia, extending from the Ashburton River in the Pilbara region of Western Australia to the Adelaide River in the Northern Territory. This species is one of the most common and highly abundant endemic freshwater fish in north-western Australia. It displays extensive geographic variation in its color pattern. Variation in this species' color pattern is linked to predation, while variation in body reflectance and body shape is associated with differences in environmental conditions.
