The Telmatherininae, the sail-fin silversides are a
subfamily 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 ...
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 ...
,
inhabiting fresh and brackish water. All but the species ''
Kalyptatherina helodes'' are restricted to the Indonesian island of
Sulawesi, 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: 471–482][Herder, 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 c ...
in the males, which are also brightly coloured, compared with the females.
References
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1888483
Melanotaeniidae
Fish subfamilies