The dwarf paradise fish (''Parapolynemus verekeri''), also known as the streamer threadfin or streamered tasselfish, is a species of

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

from a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Polynemidae Threadfins are silvery grey perciform fish of the family Polynemidae. Found in tropical to subtropical waters throughout the world, the threadfin family contains eight genera and about 40 species. An unrelated species sometimes known by the name ...

, the

threadfin Threadfins are silvery grey perciform fish of the family Polynemidae. Found in tropical to subtropical waters throughout the world, the threadfin family contains eight genera and about 40 species. An unrelated species sometimes known by the name ...

s. It is the only species in the genus ''Parapolynemus'' and it is found in Australia and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

Description

The dwarf paradise fish is the smallest species of threadfin which has an elongated body with a large oblique and turned down mouth. It has two separate

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

s, the first of which has 8 spines and the second which has a single spine and 11-14 soft rayswhile the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

has 3 spines and 10 -12 soft rays. The base of the anal fin is shorter than that of the second dorsal fin. The

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

has long lobes with the lower usually being the longest; normally it is longer than the distance from the snout to the start of the second dorsal fin. The

pectoral fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

s have 12 to 14 simple raysand are located near the midline of the body and may extend beyond the rear end of the anal fin's base. It has 6 or 7 pectoral filaments; with the fifth filament, the farthest back, being the longest, sometimes reaching past the end of the caudal fin. The pelvic fins reach beyond the anus. There are 50*60 scales in the lateral linewhich nds between the centre of the fork of the caudal fin and its first lower ray. This species has its body and head coloured yellow, shading to black on the back, with bright orange fins. The pectoral filaments are deep vermilion in colour. The maximum standard length of .

Distribution

The dwarf paradise fish is found in the eastern Indian Ocean and the south-western Pacific Ocean in Australia and New Guinea. In New Guinea it is found in the south of the island from

Maro River The Maro River also known as Sungai Merauke and Merauke-rivier, Merauki River flows in Merauke Regency, Papua, Indonesia. It is located just to the west of the Bensbach River of Western Province, Papua New Guinea. Hydrology The Maro flows fr ...

Western New Guinea Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, or Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the Melanesian island of New Guinea which is administered by Indonesia. Since the island is alternatively named as Papua, the region ...

to the

Gulf of Papua The Gulf of Papua is located in the southern coast region of New Guinea. It has a total surface area of . Geography Some of New Guinea's largest rivers, such as the Fly River, Turama River, Kikori River, Purari River, and Wawoi River flow i ...

in Papua New Guinea. The Australian distribution extends from

Cambridge Gulf Cambridge Gulf is a gulf on the north coast of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Many rivers flow into the gulf, including the Ord River, Pentecost River, Durack River, King River and the Forrest River, making the environment an ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

to Point Stuart in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

Habitat and biology

Adult dwarf paradise fish occur in muddy estuaries and the lower part of rivers. There is evidence that the take part in mass

spawning Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquat ...

as hundreds of adults in near breeding condition were taken at the

Medusa Banks In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...

by a trawl in January or February 1968.

References

External links

* Streamer Threadfin @ Fishes of Australia
/small> {{Taxonbar, from=Q1927448 dwarf paradise fish Monotypic fish genera Fish of New Guinea Marine fish of Northern Australia Taxa named by William Saville-Kent dwarf paradise fish