Salmon-red Rainbowfish Identification Guide
How to spot the humped-back, salmon-pink males of the Salmon-red Rainbowfish from Lake Sentani, Papua.
Read the full Salmon-red Rainbowfish encyclopedia entry →
Key identification features
- Deep, strongly compressed body with a pronounced humped back in adult males
- Vivid salmon-pink to brick-red overall coloration in mature males
- Females and juveniles olive-silver, far less colorful than males
- Two dorsal fins, with a reddish tint carrying into the fins of males
- Steep forehead profile that arches noticeably above the eye
- Elongated, pointed anal fin in mature males
- Grows to roughly 10-12 cm, among the larger rainbowfishes
Common look-alikes
- Emerald rainbowfish: shares the humped-back body shape but shows green rather than salmon-red coloration.
- Red rainbowfish varieties of other genera: lack the pronounced dorsal hump characteristic of this species' males.
- Boeseman's rainbowfish: shows a clear two-tone body split between a blue-violet front half and yellow-orange rear half, unlike the uniform red of this species.
Where you'll see one
Endemic to Lake Sentani and its tributary streams in Papua, Indonesia, inhabiting open water and vegetated lake margins, where males display their vivid coloration most intensely during breeding activity.
Frequently asked questions
How do I distinguish a male from a female salmon-red rainbowfish?
Males show the deep salmon-red body color and a pronounced humped back, while females are plain olive-silver with a flatter profile.
How is this species told apart from the emerald rainbowfish?
Both share a humped-back body shape, but the salmon-red rainbowfish is red to pink while the emerald rainbowfish is green.