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Rainbow Runner
Elagatis bipinnulata (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)
Rainbow Runners at a depth of 16m, North Solitary Island, New South Wales, March 1997. View larger image.
The Rainbow Runner is an elongate fish. It has a large deeply forked tail and two separate finlets behind both the dorsal and anal fins. There are no scutes (glossary) on the lateral line.
This species is green to blue above and white below. It has two light blue stripes on the sides separated by a wider yellow to greenish stripe.
It grows to 1.2 m in length.
The Rainbow Runner is a pelagic species that is found in tropical and warm temperate marine waters worldwide.
In Australia it is known from south-western Western Australia, around the tropical north and south to southern New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Allen, G.R. & R. Swainston. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 201.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
