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A comprehensive reading list of rainbowfish, New Guinea and general Australian freshwater fish books — old and new, in and out of print.
2011, ANGFA Open-Access Digital Edition — Adrian R. Tappin. Spanning 576 pages, this masterfully detailed free online guide bridges wild geographic distribution data with exact aquarium husbandry parameters. The best book ever done on Rainbowfishes and their aquarium care.
2002, A.C.S. / Verlag A.C.S. — Harro Hieronimus. A legendary, bilingual pictorial reference diagnostic manual featuring nearly 700 photographs tracking specific wild catchment coordinates.
2000, Barron's Educational Series — Gunther Schmida. An internationally distributed handbook detailing breeding and water chemistry parameters for keeping Melanotaeniidae.
1995, Tetra Press — Gerald R. Allen. A landmark 180-page global classic documenting remote collection locales of Australia and West New Guinea. An excellent book, even if a bit out of date relative to all the new species described since.
1980, T.F.H. Publications — Gerald R. Allen and Norbert Cross. The ultimate historic monograph for the family Melanotaeniidae, complete with exact meristic keys.
2008, Nokomis Publications — Gerald R. Allen, Andrew W. Storey, and Marskon Yarrao. A meticulous biological reference detailing more than 100 species in the island's largest river system. It includes accounts and pictures for most species found across southern New Guinea, an excellent guide.
2000, PT Freeport Indonesia/Tropics Nature — Gerald R. Allen. A highly targeted scientific guide focusing on the unique, gradient-adapted freshwater fauna of West Papua around Timika.
1991, Christensen Research Institute — Gerald R. Allen. The ultimate benchmark field text for the island, establishing primary taxonomic identification keys.
1967, Department of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries — Ian S.R. Munro. A historic 651-page text acting as the mid-century taxonomical foundation for the region.
2026, CSIRO Publishing — Paul Humphries and Katherine Doyle. An exhaustive ecological study mapping the history, global spread, and environmental impacts of Cyprinus carpio across south-eastern waterways.
2024, Self-Published — Stuart J. Rowland. A major text outlining a compelling plea for river rehabilitation, detailing foundational biology and hatchery techniques compiled from over three decades of research.
2023, Murray–Darling Basin Authority — Mark Lintermans. The thoroughly revised and updated second edition of the definitive textbook on the Basin's aquatic systems, integrating modern conservation frameworks and updated ecological keys. An excellent book to own.
2023, CSIRO Publishing — Paul Humphries. A sweeping natural history and biological deep-dive covering the species from First Nations creation stories through to modern recreational angling impacts.
2019, Self-Published / Blurb — Gunther Schmida. A behind-the-scenes masterclass detailing custom aquarium setups, lighting configurations, and trade secrets for wildlife imagery.
2018, Murdoch University / MAGNT — James Shelley, Matthew Le Feuvre, David Morgan, et al.. A 262-page regional field guide charting northwestern species, detailing dozens of highly localized endemics discovered on remote gorge expeditions.
2018, Nokomis Publications — Rudie H. Kuiter. A specialized taxonomy manual completely dedicated to the Southern Hemisphere's Gondwanan galaxiids.
2018 — Rudie H. Kuiter. A heavily illustrated digital guide highlighting localized native variations, highly valued by native aquarists.
2017, Self-Published — Gunther Schmida. Drawing on over 60 years of field experience, this text acts as a comprehensive photographic archive of rainbowfish, blue-eyes, and hardyheads.
2015, CSIRO Publishing — Edited by Paul Humphries and Keith Walker. The premier modern academic textbook addressing the evolutionary history and ecology of native families.
2014, Murdoch University — David L. Morgan, Mark G. Allen, Stephen J. Beatty, et al.. A compact, highly specialized regional guide tracking the unique inland fish fauna of the Pilbara. It covers everything from the De Grey to the Irwin Rivers, including detail on Australia's only obligate vertebrate cave stygofauna (like the Blind Cave Eel).
2011, SERCUL / Murdoch University — David L. Morgan, Stephen J. Beatty, Michael W. Klunzinger, et al.. The defining benchmark handbook for the south-west. It documents all known facts regarding highly endemic and ancient species like the Salamanderfish and Pouched Lamprey, alongside identification benchmarks for local decapod crustaceans and bivalves.
2011, University of Western Australia Press — Adam Kerezsy. An engaging natural history and travel memoir tracking an aquatic ecologist's journeys through remote, arid-zone waterways.
2008, Pascal Press — Gunther Schmida. A compact, highly accessible introductory field taxonomy handbook published for educational use.
2007, CSIRO Publishing — Brad Pusey, Mark Kennard, and Angela Arthington. A data-heavy biological reference text capturing life histories, environmental needs, and distributions across tropical Queensland. This is the best book produced so far in terms of the extreme comprehensive information included on each species, a must have.
2007, Murray–Darling Basin Commission — Mark Lintermans. The historic first book entirely devoted to the Basin's native and alien fish fauna.
2007, Queensland Museum — Scott Cutmore and Dr Kevin Warburton. A highly detailed, color-illustrated pocket guide profiling the ~50 native and introduced freshwater species found across Brisbane's waterways.
2004, CSIRO Publishing — Gerald R. Allen, S.H. Midgley, and M.N. Allen. The scientific baseline for overall native freshwater fish identification across the continent.
2002, Queensland Department of Primary Industries — David Moffatt and Jo Voller. A critical, northern-basin specific ecological survey detailing the riverine hydrology and refugia waterholes of Queensland's catchment zones.
2000, Queensland Department of Primary Industries — Rob Wager and Peter J. Unmack. A specialized biological survey focusing on the desert-adapted arid survival strategies of central fishes.
1996, Reed Books — Edited by Robert M. McDowall. The heavily revised and expanded second edition, integrating detailed range mapping and new color photographs.
1995, Department of Primary Industries — Brett Herbert and John Peeters. A localized state bulletin providing specific taxonomic profiles on the distinct tropical species of Cape York.
1990, Government Printer / Arthur Rylah Institute — John D. Koehn and William G. O'Connor. A data-driven government research text mapping instream habitat and spawning requirements.
1990, University of Tasmania — Wayne Fulton. Published as Fauna of Tasmania Handbook No. 7, this is the premier scientific regional text focusing on Tasmania's highly endemic galaxiids.
1989, Northern Territory Museum — Helen K. Larson and Keith C. Martin. An essential tropical handbook detailing the distinct freshwater species across northern waterways.
1989, T.F.H. Publications — Gerald R. Allen. A bridge text from a major aquarium publisher providing deep-dive biological profiles alongside vibrant aquarium photography.
1984, J.R. Merrick — John R. Merrick and Gunther E. Schmida. The legendary "Blue Book" a monumental 409-page scientific cornerstone that bridged academic ichthyology with the aquarium hobby. This book really set the scene for our state of knowledge at the time. A great reference book still.
1984 — John R. Merrick and Ray Leggett. The foundational holy grail for domestic native fish husbandry, combining strict science with tank parameters. Every native fish keeper should own this book.
1983, Department of Conservation / Government Printer — Phillip L. Cadwallader and Gary N. Backhouse. The legendary, foundational regional manual for the state, establishing baseline distribution mappings. Quite detailed species accounts.
1982, Western Museum — Gerald R. Allen. The original, pioneering western scientific field manual charting remote desert and Kimberley aquatic regions.
1980, Reed Books — Edited by Robert M. McDowall. The original first edition compiling multi-author entries to serve naturalists with precise diagnostic keys.
1978, Thomas Nelson — John S. Lake. Published posthumously in the Nelson Field Guides series, this pocketable identification manual served as Lake's final text. It highlights just how far we have come since that time.
1971, Thomas Nelson — John S. Lake. John Lake's masterpiece expanding early bulletin work into a foundational nationwide book.
1967, NSW Chief Secretary's Department — John S. Lake. Published as State Fisheries Research Bulletin No. 7, mapping early breeding discoveries of inland river systems.
1959, Jacaranda Press — Gilbert P. Whitley. The mid-century baseline for modern native taxonomy written by the Australian Museum's legendary curator.
