Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Lake Kutubu rainbowfish (Melanotaenia lacustris), recorded as Endangered
Lake Kutubu rainbowfish (Melanotaenia lacustris). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Lake Kutubu rainbowfish

Melanotaenia lacustris

Lake Kutubu rainbowfish is a rainbowfish in the family Melanotaeniidae (order Atheriniformes) — Melanotaenia lacustris, recorded as Endangered.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Melanotaenia lacustris
Taxonomy
Atheriniformes · Melanotaeniidae · Melanotaenia

The rainbowfish

Rainbowfishes are slender, schooling freshwater fishes of New Guinea and Australia, usually from a named river or lake.

Silversides and rainbowfishes are usually slender schooling fishes of lakes, estuaries, or clear streams.

Range and habitat

The Lake Kutubu rainbowfish is a fish in the family Melanotaeniidae. It is one of 13 fish endemic to Lake Kutubu, a lake found within the Kikori River system in Papua New Guinea.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Habits

Silversides and rainbowfishes need clear water and a place to school. A lake form does not commute to the next basin.

In crisis

Lake Kutubu rainbowfish is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Lake Kutubu rainbowfish — often a short stub, Wikidata item Q623063. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish (Melanotaenia parva), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Lake Kurumoi rainbowfish

Melanotaenia parva
Photograph of Kokas Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia kokasensis), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Kokas Rainbowfish

Melanotaenia kokasensis
Photograph of Bosemani Rainbow (Melanotaenia boesemani), recorded as EndangeredEN

Bosemani Rainbow

Melanotaenia boesemani
Photograph of Fly River rainbowfish (Melanotaenia sexlineata), recorded as EndangeredEN

Fly River rainbowfish

Melanotaenia sexlineata

Quick answers

What is Lake Kutubu rainbowfish?
Lake Kutubu rainbowfish is a rainbowfish in the family Melanotaeniidae (order Atheriniformes) — Melanotaenia lacustris.
What is the conservation status of Lake Kutubu rainbowfish?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Melanotaenia lacustris. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Lake Kutubu rainbowfish live?
It is one of 13 fish endemic to Lake Kutubu, a lake found within the Kikori River system in Papua New Guinea.
Why is Lake Kutubu rainbowfish in crisis?
It is Endangered on Wikidata. Read the official Red List assessment for the criteria.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Melanotaenia lacustris?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Lake Kutubu rainbowfish a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.