On the expedition in the giant Mamberamo valley, the largest swampy area on the planet and surrounded by mountain ranges, located on the Indonesian side of Papúa, the German explorer Heiko Bleher discovered fish species labelled “the fish of the century” – the dwarf neon rainbowfish Melanotaenia praecox. Different species of the Gobiidae family are common companions of Melanotaenia.
It was described in 1922 with “colour unknown” and 70 years later Heiko Bleher was able to discover its amazing and almost unique colour by capturing 13 specimens, millions of which have been bred for worldwide.
In this biotope of the tributary stream of the Uge River were registered such plants as Leptochilus sp., as well as botanicals, fruits and seeds of Brachychiton populneus, Sterculia foetida or Nelumbo nucifera.
- GPS
- -3.2626319, 138.6058350
- Geographical region
- Southeastern Asia
- Drainage Basin
- Mamberamo River
- River catchment
- Uge
- Water body type
- Stream
- Water body name
- Nameless
- Water body part
- Marsh land
- Water body course
- Lower course
- Water body: tributary of
- River
- Tributary name
- Uge
