Mbuta RainbowfishPelangia mbutaensis

Conservation Actions

There are no conservation actions in place for this species. Further surveys are required to see if this species is still extant.

Location Information

This species is known only from the Mbuta Basin, approximately 8 km north of Etna Bay in the narrow isthmus known as the Birds Neck region of West Papua, Indonesia. Formerly considered a remote, isolated area it is now accessible by a road that originates at a logging camp at Kayumerah Bay, immediately west of the entrance to the much larger Etna Bay (G.R. Allen pers. comm. 2019).

Geographic Range

Extant

Indonesia

Population Information

This species is considered one of the rarest rainbowfish species as it has not been seen since the first collection in 1997, despite several subsequent attempts to locate it, the latest of which was in 2016 (G.R. Allen and Kadarusman pers. comm. 2019).

There are large fluctuations in the water level of the habitat and these are likely to be leading to fluctuations in the population. However, it is not clear if these are of great enough magnitude to qualify as extreme fluctuations.

Threats

There are large natural water level fluctuations in the habitat of this species and this is being exacerbated by climate change. The only specimens of this species have been collected from a creek, which was flooded in subsequent visits to the site. Predation by birds during the dry season is also a threat (Kadarusman pers. comm. 2019). This is likely to become more severe a threat if the dry season is prolonged due to climate change.

IUCN Red List Account Link

Please click here to see the species' IUCN Red List Account page.