| Rainbowfish | |
|---|---|
| |
| Boeseman's rainbowfish, Melanotaenia boesemani, male. | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| (unranked): | Ovalentaria |
| (unranked): | Atherinomorpha |
| Order: | Atheriniformes |
| Suborder: | Atherinoidei |
| Family: | Melanotaeniidae T. N. Gill, 1894 |
| Subfamilies | |
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See text | |
Rainbowfishes are small, colourful freshwater fishes belonging to the family Melanotaeniidae, found in northern and eastern Australia, New Guinea (including islands in Cenderawasih Bay and Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia), Sulawesi and Madagascar.
The largest rainbowfish genus and the type of the family, Melanotaenia, derives from the ancient Greek melano (black) and taenia (banded). Translated, it means "black-banded", and is a reference to the often striking lateral black bands that run along the bodies of those in the genus Melanotaenia.