Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Sentani rainbowfish (Chilatherina sentaniensis), recorded as Critically Endangered
Sentani rainbowfish (Chilatherina sentaniensis). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Sentani rainbowfish

Chilatherina sentaniensis

Another rainbowfish, Glossolepis incisus has a similar range.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Chilatherina sentaniensis
Taxonomy
Atheriniformes · Melanotaeniidae · Chilatherina

The rainbowfish

Sentani rainbowfish is a rainbowfish in the family Melanotaeniidae (order Atheriniformes) — Chilatherina sentaniensis.

Range and habitat

It is endemic to West Papua in Indonesia, where restricted to Lake Sentani (about 10 km west of Jayapura City) and its tributaries. It appears to have disappeared from the lake itself due to pollution and introduced species. Another rainbowfish, Glossolepis incisus has a similar range.

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

Although a small population of the Sentani rainbowfish is maintained in captivity, it has frequently been confused with the closely related, more thickset C. Fasciata.

Sentani rainbowfish is Critically 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 Sentani rainbowfish, Wikidata item Q2724791. 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.

Also in this catalog

Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii
Photograph of Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum

Quick answers

What is Sentani rainbowfish?
It is endemic to West Papua in Indonesia, where restricted to Lake Sentani (about 10 km west of Jayapura City) and its tributaries.
What is the conservation status of Sentani rainbowfish?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Chilatherina sentaniensis. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Sentani rainbowfish live?
It is endemic to West Papua in Indonesia, where restricted to Lake Sentani (about 10 km west of Jayapura City) and its tributaries.
Why is Sentani rainbowfish in crisis?
It appears to have disappeared from the lake itself due to pollution and introduced species.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Chilatherina sentaniensis?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Sentani rainbowfish a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.