The Telmatherininae, the sail-fin silversides are a

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

of atheriniform fish from the

rainbowfish The rainbowfish or Melanotaeniidae is a family of small, colourful freshwater fish found in northern and eastern Australia, New Guinea (including islands in Cenderawasih Bay and Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia), Sulawesi and Madagascar. The lar ...

family, the

Melanotaeniidae The rainbowfish or Melanotaeniidae is a family of small, colourful freshwater fish found in northern and eastern Australia, New Guinea (including islands in Cenderawasih Bay and Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia), Sulawesi and Madagascar. The lar ...

, inhabiting fresh and brackish water. All but the species ''

Kalyptatherina helodes The marine sailfin silverside (''Kalyptatherina helodes'') is a species of sailfin silverside endemic to Indonesia, where it is only known from mangrove swamps around Misool and Batanta Islands. This species grows to total length Fish measur ...

'' are restricted to the Indonesian island of

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...

, and most are found solely in the Malili Lake system, consisting of Matano and Towuti, and the small Lontoa (Wawantoa), Mahalona and Masapi.Gray, S.M., and J.S. McKinnon (2006). ''A comparative description of mating behaviour in the endemic telmatherinid fishes of Sulawesi's Malili Lakes.'' Environmental Biology of Fishes 75: 471–482Herder, F.; J. Schwarzer; J. Pfaender; R.K. Hadiaty; and U.K. Schliewen (2006).
Preliminary checklist of sailfin silversides (Teleostei: Telmatherinidae) in the Malili Lakes of Sulawesi (Indonesia), with a synopsis of systematics and threats.
'' Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft für Ichthyologie Band 5: 139-163. They are small fish, typically ranging from in length, though the largest ''Paratherina'' can reach almost twice that size. They are named for the sail-like shape of their first

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 ...

in the males, which are also brightly coloured, compared with the females.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1888483 Melanotaeniidae Fish subfamilies