Melanotaenia sembrae — holotype, male, 87.3 mm SL, Sembra River near Teminabuan, West Papua — photo © Bambang Dwisusilo

Melanotaenia sembrae

Kadarusman, Carman & Pouyaud, 2015

Species Summary

Melanotaenia sembrae is one of eight closely related rainbowfishes from the Birds Head region of West Papua, Indonesia, described together in 2015 on the basis of combined evidence: a cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene phylogeny, genotyping at 12 microsatellite loci, and diagnostic morphological characters. The approach revealed a level of cryptic diversity in the region well beyond what traditional morphological survey alone had detected. In the COI phylogeny it is allied to M. multiradiata, the two forming the ‘Southern Ayamaru’ cluster, sister to the ‘Central Ayamaru Plateau’ cluster and to the monospecific lineage represented by M. arfakensis.

Etymology

The species is named for the Sembra River, the type locality.

Etymology compiled from C. Scharpf (2023), “Fishes of Sahul: An Etymological Survey (Part 6), the rainbowfishes (continued)”, Fishes of Sahul 37(1): 2006–2022, and etyfish.org.

Distribution & Habitat

Melanotaenia sembrae is known only from the Sembra River, a karst resurgence emerging from the southern side of the Ayamaru Plateau west of Teminabuan town and flowing into Teminabuan Bay. The type locality is a substantial stream 20–25 m wide and up to 4 m deep, with moderate to fast flow over a limestone-rock bottom, running through second-growth forest.

Description & Comparison with Similar Species

Live males are overall green-olive, with six or seven narrow orange-red stripes between the rear scale rows, a discontinuous mid-lateral stripe of intense black to steel-blue, translucent pectoral fins, an olive-green anal fin with orange-red hues, and a marked orange-red margin on the second dorsal fin; females are paler, lacking the orange hues on the anal fin. Despite its genetic affinity to M. multiradiata, Melanotaenia sembrae is readily separated from it by a greater interorbital width, deeper body, longer predorsal length and pectoral fin, and fewer anal-fin rays and gill rakers.

Melanotaenia sembrae — female, 85 mm SL, same data as the holotype — photo © Bambang Dwisusilo

Account compiled for Home of the Rainbowfish from M. F. I. Nugraha, Kadarusman, N. Hubert, J.-C. Avarre, R. K. Hadiaty, J. Slembrouck, O. Carman, Sudarto, R. Ogistira & L. Pouyaud (2015), “Eight new species of Rainbowfishes (Melanotaeniidae) from the Birds Head Region, West Papua, Indonesia”, Cybium 39(2): 99–130.

References

• Nugraha M.F.I., Kadarusman, N. Hubert, J.C. Avarre, R.K. Hadiaty, J. Slembrouck, O. Carman, Sudarto, R. Ogistira and L. Pouyaud (2015) Eight new species of Rainbowfishes (Melanotaeniidae) from the Birds Head Region, West Papua, Indonesia. Cybium 39(2): 99-130.