Animal Species:Rainbow Runner, Elagatis bipinnulata (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)

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 on the lateral line. The 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.

Rainbow Runners at North Solitary Island

Rainbow Runners at North Solitary Island
Ian Shaw © Ian Shaw

Identification

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 on the lateral line.

The 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.

Size range

It grows to 1.2 m in length.

Distribution

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.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums.  Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Elagatis bipinnulata

Distribution by collection data

Ozcam map of Rainbow Runner specimens in the Australian Museums.

What does this mean?

Classification

Species:
bipinnulata
Genus:
Elagatis
Family:
Carangidae
Class:
Actinopterygii
Subphylum:
Vertebrata
Phylum:
Chordata
Kingdom:
Animalia

What does this mean?

References

  1. Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
  2. 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.
  3. Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
  4. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
  5. Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
  6. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.


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Tags fish, Ichthyology, Rainbow Runner, Elagatis bipinnulata, elongate, forked tail, green, blue, white underside, stripes or bands, blue stripes, yellow stripe, > 1m, pelagic, tropical water, temperate water, marine,