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Northern Australia is biologically diverse and of national and global conservation signicance. Its ancient landscape contains the world’s largest area of savannah ecosystem in good ecological condition and its rivers are largely free-flowing. Agriculture, previously confined largely to open range-land grazing, is set to expand in extent and to focu...
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... jardinii (Saville-Kent, 1892) Northern or Gulf Saratoga-RP Scleropages jardinii is widely but disjunctly distributed across the region (Fig. 5). Three separate populations are known. The first occurs in the Top End of the Northern Territory from the Adelaide River to the Roper River and including Melville Island and Groote Eylandt. A translocated population also exists within Girraween Lagoon near Darwin. The second population is restrcted to the Nicholson River system but ...
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... piscivorous Strongylura kreffti is distributed almost ubiquitously within river basins of the Timor Sea and Gulf of Carpentaria drainage divisions (Fig. 25). It has been recorded from the Ord, Carson and Fitzroy rivers of the Kimberley region but may be more widespread in this region ( Morgan et al. 2011). It has not been recorded from the short coastal river systems of the north-east coast of CYP but is widespread and relatively abundant in the low- gradient Normanby River to the south. ...
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... gertrudae Weber, 1911 Gertrude's blue-eye-RP Pseudomugil gertrudae is disjunctly distributed across northern Australia (Fig. 35). To the west, it has been recorded from the Moyle River eastward, although not continuously, to the Buckingham River drainage in ...
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... percoides (Günther, 1864) Barred grunter-R Amniataba percoides is extremely widespread from the Pilbara region (Morgan and Gill 2004) northward to, and FRESHWATER FISHES OF NORTHERN AUSTRALIA including, the Kimberley region ( Morgan et al. 2011), across northern Australia (Fig. 50) and south to the Burnett River in south-eastern Queensland (although translocated populations occur even further south) ( ). It also occurs in the internal drainages of central Australia ( Allen et al. 2003). Although otherwise widely distributed across the study region, this species is apparently absent from the short, rainforest ...
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... grunter-R A highly restricted species of terapontid grunter, Scortum neili has been recorded only from two locations (East Baines River and Angalarri River) within the Victoria River basin (Fig 52). Given the high intensity of sampling that has occurred in this and surrounding rivers, it is unlikely to be more widely distributed. ...
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... grunter-RP Scortum ogilbyi is widely distributed in the low-gradient, turbid rivers of the southern Gulf region but also occurs in the clearer perennial Roper River, Limmen Bight, Settlement Creek basins to the west and the Wenlock and Ducie river basins to the north-east. (Fig. 52). It is absent in rivers of eastern CYP. Incidence-10 basins, 232 ...
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... grunter-R Pingalla gilberti occurs from the Coleman River (Mitchell river basin) south to and including the Flinders-Norman basin although within this range, it occurs most commonly in the Mitchell and Gilbert rivers (Fig. 53). It has been predominantly collected from the middle to upper reaches of those rivers in which it occurs. Incidence-2 basins, 59 locations. Pingalla lorentzi (Weber, 1910) Lorentz's grunter-R Pingalla lorentzi is distributed as two highly isolated populations within the study region (Fig. 53). The first is restricted to a few streams ...
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... most commonly in the Mitchell and Gilbert rivers (Fig. 53). It has been predominantly collected from the middle to upper reaches of those rivers in which it occurs. Incidence-2 basins, 59 locations. Pingalla lorentzi (Weber, 1910) Lorentz's grunter-R Pingalla lorentzi is distributed as two highly isolated populations within the study region (Fig. 53). The first is restricted to a few streams in the Finniss River in the Northern Territory where it has been uncommonly recorded despite substantial sampling effort. The second population is located on the tip of CYP where it has been recorded from the Jardine, Ducie and Wenlock river basins. It is moderately common and widely ...
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... grunter-R Pingalla midgleyi is another species of terapontid grunter with a very limited distribution (Fig. 53). It is apparently restricted to the East and South Alligator rivers of the Kakadu region, where it is widely distributed in tributary creek systems and to the Katherine River in the headwaters of the Daly River. In the latter river, it has only been recorded from rocky streams draining the stone country of the Arnhem Escarpment where ...
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... species may occur in floodplain wetlands, it is predominantly an inhabitant of permanent river reaches and large intermittent streams. Incidence- 28 basins, 672 locations. Hephaestus jenkinsi (Whitley, 1945) Western sooty grunter-RP Within the study region, Hephaestus jenkinsi is restricted to the Fitzmaurice, Victoria and Keep River basins only (Fig. 55). It is, however, more widely distributed in the Kimberley region of Western Australia ( Morgan et al. 2011). Phylogeographic analysis based on mitochondrial information of Kimberley populations of this species revealed close affinity with populations of H. fuliginosus from the Daly River possibly indicative of a past introgression ...
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... grunter-R Hephaestus carbo exists as a series of disjunct populations distributed across all three drainage divisions (Fig. 55). The first population occurs on the tip of CYP and includes both westerly flowing (Jardine, Ducie, Archer and Wenlock drainages) and easterly flowing streams (Lockhart, Claudie, Olive and Harmer rivers). It is common in these streams and the form in the Claudie and Olive rivers is especially colourful (B.Pusey & C. Perna, unpubl. ...
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... grunter-R Syncomistes butleri is restricted to drainages within the Timor Sea drainage division from the Keep River east to the Goyder River (Fig. 56). It also occurs in the Drysdale, Carson, Pentecost and Ord rivers of the northern portion of the Kimberley region ( Morgan et al. 2011). At least three other species within the genus (S. kimberleyensis, S. rastellus and S. trigonicus) occur in the Kimberley region also; one of which may extend into the Victoria River drainage. ...
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... in the upper reaches of the rivers in which it occurs and in lowland billabongs of the Kakadu region. Incidence-11 basins, 166 locations. Variichthys lacustris (Mees and Kailola, 1977) Lake Grunter-P Variichthys lacustris is extremely rare having been recorded only from heavily vegetated floodplain wetlands within the Mitchell River basin ( (Fig. 56). This species also occurs within the Fly River system of New Guinea ( Allen et al. 2003). This species is not easily collected as specific sampling methods are required (C. Perna, unpubl. data), and it may be more widespread than is indicated. Incidence-1 basin, 4 ...
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... aprion (Richardson, 1842) Mouth almighty-RP Glossamia aprion, a mouth brooder, is extremely widely distributed across the study region, occurring in all three drainage divisions (Fig. 57). Its distribution extends to the Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region ( Morgan et al. 2011), but not further south to the Pilbara region (Morgan and Gill 2004). The contemporary southern limit on the east coast appears to be the Brisbane River in south-eastern Queensland ( ). It also occurs in southern New Guinea ( Allen et al. 2003). ...
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... archerfish-RP Toxotes chatareus is another almost ubiquitously distributed species of northern Australia. This very widespread species, distributed from India through south-east Asia to New Guinea and Australia, occurs in nearly all drainage basins of the Timor Sea and Gulf drainage divisions and most basins of the north-east Coast division also (Fig. 58). Its distribution on the east coast extends south to the Pioneer River but not the Fitzroy River ( ) and to several Kimberley rivers (Ord (including Pentecost and Durack rivers)), King Edward, Prince Regent, Carson and Carson river basins but not the Fitzroy River) on the west coast ( Morgan et al. 2011). Incidence-42 basins, 761 ...
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... archerfish-R Toxotes lorentzi is restricted to a small number of basins within the Timor Sea drainage division from the Moyle River in the west to the Blyth River in Arnhem Land. It is apparently absent from the Liverpool and Goomadeer rivers within this range (Fig. 59); however, it likely occurs in them. It occurs in the Trans-Fly region of southern New Guinea also . It rarely achieves high abundance. Incidence-9 basins, 51 ...
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... goby-R The majority (24/27) of records for Chlamydogobius ranuculus shown in Figure 65 are museum records (NTM or QM), and the species has been infrequently recorded in surveys reported in the literature. This species is widely, but patchily, distributed across the study region, occurring in all three Drainage Divisions. ...
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... Swamps: NTM). Although Allen et al. (2003) suggest that C. ranunculus is restricted to freshwaters (0-9% SW) near the coast, the distribution depicted in Figure 65 indicates that this species has a wide intra-riverine distribution and may be found distant from the coast (as in the Flinders and Mitchell rivers). Very upstream records in the Adelaide and Alligator rivers may not be valid, however. ...
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... goby-ER This small but distinctive goby, formerly referred to Schismatogobius sp. ( ) and Shismatogobius insignum is more properly considered restricted to drainages within the Wet Tropics region, and its presence in the Annan and Endeavour rivers in the extreme south-east of the study region (Fig. 65) reflects the transitional nature of this basin between the perennial rainforest streams to the south and the more seasonal streams to the north. This species has a very restricted pattern of meso/microhabit use, being largely confined to the rock/cobble substrate at the head of riffle zones where flow is fast but not yet critical ...
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... vertical and pre-dorsal scale series). Both occur in New Guinea although O. fimbriata is more widespread and may be comprised of more than one species . Their distributions in northern Australia are largely allopatric with O. aruensis confined mostly to easterly flowing streams on the tip of CYP and O. fimbriata to westerly flowing streams (Fig. 75). A single record of O. aruensis west of the GDR exists for the Wenlock River ( , and two records for O. fimbriata east of the GDR exist for the Olive River (QM; ). Notably, collected both species in each of these rivers, and these outlier records are probably valid; these authors were among the first to recognise the presence of O. ...
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... seven species were recorded from fewer than five basins and a further 24 species were recorded from only five to eight basins. Thus, almost half of the freshwater fish fauna can be considered somewhat restricted in distribution (Fig. 85). However, most of these limited species have wider global or regional distributions that include only a few basins in northern Australia (i.e. their presence in northern Australia is extra-limital) and they cannot thus be considered truly restricted. For example eight of these species (Neosilurus brevidorsalis, Oxyeleotris fimbriata, ...
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... Risk/Near Threatened (LR/NT) in lists compiled by the ASFB and the IUCN. Given the widespread distribution depicted in Figure 26, it is arguable whether listing under this category is warranted. Pingalla midgelyi is listed as LR/NT by the ASFB and as Lower Risk/Least Concern (LR/LC) by the IUCN. These listings reflect its limited distribution (Fig. 53) and are appropriate, notwithstanding that its distribution is largely contained within a protected area (Kakadu National Park). Pingalla gilberti is similarly listed as LR/LC by both ASFB and IUCN, although given its wide distribution in northern Australia (Fig. 53), these listings are arguable. Scortum neili is listed as LR/NT by the ...
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... Concern (LR/LC) by the IUCN. These listings reflect its limited distribution (Fig. 53) and are appropriate, notwithstanding that its distribution is largely contained within a protected area (Kakadu National Park). Pingalla gilberti is similarly listed as LR/LC by both ASFB and IUCN, although given its wide distribution in northern Australia (Fig. 53), these listings are arguable. Scortum neili is listed as LR/NT by the ASFB but remains unlisted by the IUCN. Of all the terapontid grunters found in northern Australia, this species has the most restricted distribution (Fig. 52). Ambassis elongata is listed as LR/LC by both the ASFB and IUCN; it is, however, widely distributed (Fig. ...
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... gilberti is similarly listed as LR/LC by both ASFB and IUCN, although given its wide distribution in northern Australia (Fig. 53), these listings are arguable. Scortum neili is listed as LR/NT by the ASFB but remains unlisted by the IUCN. Of all the terapontid grunters found in northern Australia, this species has the most restricted distribution (Fig. 52). Ambassis elongata is listed as LR/LC by both the ASFB and IUCN; it is, however, widely distributed (Fig. 43), and its conservation status should be reassessed. Mogurnda adspersa is listed as LR/LC by the ASFB but remains unlisted by the IUCN. Its listing is primarily in recognition of the threats this species faces in the southern ...
Citations
... The specimen, a large male, has claws with a wide spacing between the fingers, and an extended projection (large tubercle) on the inside of the small dactyl (finger) creating the appearance of a nutcracker device providing the genesis for the common name and etymology (Short, 1991). As a consequence of the unusual origin of this sample, virtually nothing is known regarding the distribution, ecology and live appearance Coastal catchments of northern Australia are unique by global standards in terms of having expansive wetlands in good habitat condition, currently having limited levels of hydrological disturbance and land reclamation, and few introduced alien fishes or crayfishes (Kingsford et al., 2016;Pusey et al., 2017). However, there are increasing pressures for water resource development, potentially alien fishes (which loom in adjoining regions and with some recent incursions), and much of the area is subjected to direct or indirect effects of agriculture, including grazing, feral herbivores and weeds (Finlayson et al., 2005;Hammer et al., 2019b;Pusey, 2011). ...
... 2 | METHODS 2.1 | Regional setting and taxonomic context Northern Australia contains four distinctive drainage divisions, with the Timor Sea and Gulf of Carpentaria the primary focus of the current study ( Figure 1). These divisions drain a large area of the costal catchment ($1,200,000 km 2 ) stretching from the Kimberley in the west across to the Cape York Peninsula in the east (Pusey et al., 2017). As a combination of relatively flat topography and a monsoon tropical climate, the region contains vast areas of wetlands ($30% of catchment area); wetland extent can fluctuate drastically in tune with prevailing climatic conditions where rain is concentrated in the 'wet season' from around December to April (Pusey, 2011, Hammer et al., 2019b; Figure 1). ...
... restricted population with a marine barrier. This initial assessment indicates an extent of occurrence of around 10,000 km 2 , but the F I G U R E 3 Morphological characteristics of Cherax nucifraga including comparison with co-occurring congeners Cherax quadricarinatus and Cherax bicarinatus: (A) Principal Components Analysis (PCA) as a combination of ratio data for 21 morphometric measurements; (B) PCA of selected claw ratio values of males only; and (C) claw morphology from a combination of whole specimens and individual discarded claws (Table 1) et al., 2019a;Pusey et al., 2017;Shelley et al., 2020). During periods of lower sea levels (e.g. ...
Freshwater wetlands are among the world's most valuable ecosystems, supporting diverse biota and critical ecological services, yet these habitats have suffered extensive and pervasive anthropogenic disturbance. Northern Australia represents a rare example of a relatively unmodified, vast wetland habitat. The freshwater crayfishes of the region are poorly documented, with one enigmatic species, the nutcracker yabby Cherax nucifraga , described from a single individual sampled opportunistically from the stomach of a predatory fish. Here we report on the rediscovery of C. nucifraga from a relatively limited distribution in semi‐permanent coastal freshwater wetlands. Field studies were conducted to inform natural resource management and conservation. Genome skimming to recover mitogenomes, 18S–28S and histone sequences demonstrated a sister relationship with two congeners from the tropics, and moderate molecular genetic substructure was apparent within C. nucifraga between mainland and Melville Island locations. Cherax nucifraga is characterised by the presence of a strawberry‐coloured soft patch on the outer margin of the claw, uniquely present in both mature males and females. Meristic and multivariate morphometric comparisons are made with the co‐occurring redclaw Cherax quadricarinatus and the allopatric whiteclaw yabby Cherax bicarinatus , with a summary of diagnostic traits developed into a visual guide and key. Programs to further understand ecology, threats and traditional ecological knowledge will help to inform the future conservation management of the species in the face of increasing development and environmental change to northern Australian coastal freshwater wetlands. Specific conservation actions include identifying and protecting refuge habitats and preventing incursions by other Cherax species.
... To explore 'locale' or general site contents as a source of contextual data relating to species recognition (see Rosenfeld 1982), we compared assemblages of two site types. Based on previous research (Rosenfeld 1982;Cole 1988;and see Cole 2016: 66), these are identified as (1) sites containing c. 20 or fewer motifs, i.e. less than half of the mean number of 44 motifs per site (see Table 11 Midgley 1990;Allen et al. 2002;Pusey et al. (2017). ...
... Tables 1 and 2 list catfish and eel species distributed in the study area; Table 3 summarises their general features (see also Fig. 3). Anguilla reinhardtii occurs widely, albeit not in large numbers, including in streams 'well away from the shore' (Allen et al. 2002: 63;Pusey et al. 2004: 79;2017; Table 2). Neoarius paucus (fork tail catfish) is common (see Pusey et al. 2004Pusey et al. : 106, 2017, but unlikely to be present in headwater streams (Midgley 1990). ...
... Eel-tailed catfish motifs, henceforth labelled 'jewfish', have eel-like (rounded or slightly tapered) tails and heads with protruding barbels (Midgley 1990;Herbert and Peters 1995;Allen et al. 2002;Pusey et al. 2004Pusey et al. , 2017. one leg' at Pig Gallery. ...
Fish motifs in Aboriginal rock art of the Laura area (Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia) include a heterogenous group that has been imprecisely classified by rock art researchers. By analysing motif attributes, style and contexts (including natural populations), we characterised three categories: fork-tailed catfish (Neoarius paucus), eel-tailed catfish (Neosilurus spp.) and eel (Anguilla reinhardti). We label the categories with the local names ‘catfish’, ‘jewfish’ and ‘eel’. The catfish cohort has a relatively naturalistic style, while the eel exhibits anatomical trends of eels, distinctive arrangements, and stylistic overlaps with jewfish that may denote shared meanings. Ambiguity is confirmed as a cultural value and communication mode of the rock art system.
... While activities like rock stacking and recreational weir building may have little impact on generalist fish with broad habitat preferences and distributions, they can be detrimental to small populations or colonies of habitat specialists. tropical freshwater fishes in northern Australia often have wide distributions and generalist habitat requirements, particularly in savanna catchments near the aWt, as documented by allen et al. (2002) and Pusey et al. (2017). However, narrow-range endemics are more commonly found in thermally stable tropical systems, resulting in relatively smaller niches available in tropical regions compared to temperate latitudes (Janzen, 1967;Chan et al., 2016). ...
Although the ecological impacts of recreational activities in clear tropical streams are occasionally acknowledged and addressed, frequently they remain unmanaged, despite the fact that such streams are highly sought-after destinations for leisure pursuits. Here, we provide a case study on the ecological characteristics of the Indo-Pacific freshwater pipefish Microphis leiaspis Bleeker, 1854, which is a habitat specialist with little available information aside from its reproductive biology and the downstream migration patterns of its larvae. Drawing from our collective experiences, we describe the distribution and habitat of Microphis leiaspis and examine the potential impacts of various small-scale human activities on its livelihood, including those occurring within protected areas. In particular, we document incidental observations of human disturbances to adult Microphis leiaspis habitat in clear freshwater streams located within the Australian Wet Tropics (AWT) World Heritage Area. Using these observations as a foundation, we conceptualize human interactions with this species in the AWT streams and more broadly across the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean. Microphis leiaspis occurs in the lower-mid course of short-steep-coastal-streams, in association with pebble fields, where it feeds on microscopic benthic invertebrates. We observed three distinct human behaviours in the pipefish habitat within the AWT, including stone-stacking, the construction of boulder-cobble dams, and stone-skimming. Additionally, we report on other small-scale human activities that may potentially impact this pipefish species in streams across Pacific Island nations and select coastal regions of continents. Our recommendation is to promote a ‘leave no trace’ approach to the public, which can be effectively communicated by key individuals such as indigenous custodians, national park managers, locals, and tourism operators. This approach aims to minimize rock movement by people, thereby aiding in the protection of diadromous pipefish and other aquatic species residing in short-steep- coastal-streams.
... Results from our study would suggest that N. graeffei could be best considered 'estuarine migrants' as they can complete their entire lifecycle within the estuary but did utilise freshwater habitats (Elliott et al. 2007). Other studies from the northern extent of the species range have found some similarities, with N. graeffei moving across salinity gradients for purposes other than reproduction (Oughton 2014;Pusey et al. 2017). This movement pattern is exhibited in other Ariidae family members including the Guri sea catfish Genidens genidens in South America (Silva Junior et al. 2013). ...
Coastal river systems provide essential habitats for a diversity of fish species that transition marine, estuarine, and freshwater environments to complete their lifecycles. Movement among and within these environments is important to access resources that optimise growth, survival, and reproduction. Knowledge on the movements, including the drivers, underpins management strategies, although this information is often lacking for many species. We used acoustic telemetry to quantify the relative importance of a range of abiotic stimuli in relation to seasonal movement patterns in blue salmon catfish Neoarius graeffei throughout an unregulated coastal river catchment, the Clarence River in northern New South Wales, Australia. Neoarius graeffei continuously occupied the Clarence River system for the duration of the 1-year study and were mostly confined to estuarine reaches, with occasional movement into freshwater habitats. Seasonal differences in habitat occupation were observed, with N. graeffei using habitats close to the river mouth in winter and upstream estuary habitats in spring. Broad-scale movement patterns were influenced by both water temperature and river flow, and high-flow events (> 1.5 m) resulted in short-term changes (~ 10 days) in habitat use. Sex-specific differences in seasonal habitat use were also observed which we hypothesise is linked to contrasting energetic investment in reproduction. The response of N. graeffei to changes in river flow highlights the need for assessment on these impacts for estuarine-dependent species more broadly, in the face of climate change and increased river regulation.
... To target Australian taxa, curated sequences were blasted in NCBI using BLASTN, and search results restricted to Australia. The results were then verified against a list of known species in the region from the Atlas of Living Australia (2020) and Pusey et al. (2017). ...
... The number and identity of fish species recorded within the drainage basins sampled in our study agrees with the information provided for corresponding biogeographic regions by previous studies (Unmack, 2001;Pusey et al., 2017). The total of 29 species recorded in the northward coastal-draining basins (Daly, Roper and Limmen Bight) lies almost midway between the 37 species given for the Daly River region and 25 for the Western Gulf of Carpentaria region (Unmack, 2001). ...
... Our results support the suggestion (Unmack, 2001) that species in northern Australia river systems tend to be widespread, and, correspondingly, the level of species endemism is low. All species that were found at only one site have previously been recorded from other northern rivers (Pusey et al., 2017; Atlas of Living Australia, 2020). The low level of endemism in many northern Australian rivers has been attributed to high drainage connectivity during a period of lowered sea level preventing the isolation needed for local speciation to occur (Unmack, 2001). ...
Northern Australia contains the continent’s largest number of intact river systems, but these are facing increasing pressure as the proposed development of multiple and large-scale industries, including onshore gas, mining, horticulture, and agriculture, accelerates. These developments will require the diversion or extraction of large amounts of water and increase the risk of contamination by industrial and agricultural chemicals. There is an urgent need to collect baseline biophysical information on these aquatic systems before major developments proceed. Much community concern has been expressed about the potential environmental impacts of a developing shale gas industry (fracking) in the Beetaloo Sub-basin and upper Roper River region of the Northern Territory. Here we describe the first major survey of the freshwater fish fauna of this region and an assessment of the importance of groundwater in supporting fish biodiversity. This region is remote from major human settlements and the waterbodies are often difficult to access. Accordingly, we maximised the information we collected from limited sampling sessions by using both traditional fish survey methods (netting and electrofishing) and eDNA analysis of water and benthic sediment samples. Water column eDNA doubled the number of species recorded to those obtained from traditional survey methods alone. We found that the fish fauna was richest at sites on northward-flowing groundwater-dependent rivers. More work is needed to fully understand the dependence of individual species on groundwater inflows. However, it is evident that conserving freshwater fish biodiversity in these rivers will require protection of the groundwater resources to ensure baseflows and aquatic refuges persist through the most extended of dry seasons.
... alval uesat las.tas.gov.au/). These records were supplemented with data from individual papers (most notably Morgan et al., 1998Morgan et al., , 2011Morgan & Gill, 2004;Pusey et al., 2017; see Table S1 for full list). We filtered occurrence data to remove duplicate or outdated entries (i.e. ...
Aims
Climate change is expected to have profound effects on species' distributions into the future. Freshwater fishes, an important component of freshwater ecosystems, are no exception. Here, we project shifts in suitable conditions for Australian freshwater fishes under different climate change scenarios to identify species that may experience significant declines in habitat suitability.
Location
Australia.
Methods
We use MAXENT bioclimatic models to estimate the effect of climate change on the suitable conditions for 154 species of Australian freshwater fishes, of which 109 are endemic and 29 are threatened with extinction. Suitable conditions for freshwater fish species are modelled using three different Earth System climate models (ESMs) under two different emission scenarios to the year 2100. For each species, we examine potential geographic shifts in the distribution of suitable conditions from the present day to 2100 and quantify how habitat suitability may change at currently occupied sites by the end of this century.
Results
Broadscale poleward shifts in suitable conditions are projected for Australian freshwater fishes by an average of up to 0.38° (~180 km) across all species, depending on the emission scenario. Considerable loss of suitable conditions is forecast to occur within currently recognized distributional extents by 2100, with a mean projected loss of up to 17.5% across species. Predicted geographic range shifts and declines are larger under a high‐emission scenario. Threatened species are projected to be more adversely affected than nonthreatened species.
Main Conclusions
Our models identify species and geographic regions that may be vulnerable to climate change, enabling freshwater fish conservation into the future.
... Goby fish play a role in ecosystem function and contribute to biodiversity and also have a role in ecology in the water. The ecological role of goby fish is to eat phytobenthic and crustaceans (Sulistiono et al. 2006;Pusey et al. 2017). Goby fish are geographically widely distributed and the species number is abundant (Nugroho et al. 2016). ...
Astuti I, Fadjar M, Nurdiani R, Sulistiyani TD. 2022. Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (CO1) and morphology of Penja fish (Sicyopterus spp.) in Budong-Budong River, West Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 23: 4724-4729. Penja fish (local name) is a fish that is often found in West Sulawesi. Penja fish belong to the Goobidae family, which has a habit of migrating from the sea to the river. Penja fish species have not been widely published or in the Gen bank. The objective of this study was to analyze the Penja fish species found in the Budong-Budong river, West Sulawesi, Indonesia. The method used was a measurement of fish morphology and analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) using a species barcode (~700). Samples were taken from the catch of fishermen at the mouth of the Budong-Budong river. The result of morphological measurements obtained an average total length of 25-38 mm, standard length 22-35 mm, head length 2-5 mm, tail length 3-5 mm, pelvic fins 0.5-2 mm, pectoral fins 1-3 mm, dorsal fins 1-3 mm and anal fin 0.1-1 and body width 3-6 mm. Electrophoretic analysis on Penja fish samples showed that the DNA between P1 and P2 samples was not much different and has very small genetic variation in 696 bp fragment length. The analysis on the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) showed the identity percentage reached 99.85%. The Penja fish identified in the Budong-Budong river is of the family Gobiidae, genus Sicyopterus with the species name Sicyopterus pugnans, which is classified as post larva.
... These highly seasonal rivers exhibit a predictable annual hydrological cycling between wet and dry seasons, with transition seasons in between (see . Freshwater fish in the region are also highly diverse (>100 species; Pusey et al. 2017) with large variations in LHS (Sternberg and Kennard 2014) that are likely to partition available resources for recruitment across the hydrological cycle. These rivers also have relatively unimpacted natural flow regimes , although there is increasing interest in water extraction and development of water resources in recent years (Commonwealth of Australia 2015). ...
Several hypotheses and conceptual models propose to explain mechanisms mediating riverine fish abundance, but few empirical studies to date have explored their utility in tropical systems. This study assesses key components of previous fish recruitment models by exploring spatiotemporal variation in larval fish assemblages in response to predicted key drivers in a tropical Australian river catchment. Data on larval fish composition and abundance, alongside hydrological, hydraulic, habitat and food variables, were collected monthly to bimonthly over one year at eight sites. Variables which best predicted larval fish abundance and diversity were determined with Boosted Regression Trees. The most commonly important predictors were microfauna abundance, structural habitat complexity and temperature, with high values of each predicting high larval fish abundance and diversity. Maximum larval diversity occurred when discharge was highest because several wet-season spawning taxa occurred alongside aseasonally spawning taxa. These findings support previous generic fish recruitment models, demonstrating the utility of their inclusion in the recent Riverine Recruitment Synthesis Model and the applicability of this model for describing processes important for tropical riverine fish recruitment.
... Species analyzed in this study are as follows: Amniataba percoides, Hephaestus fuliginosus, and Leiopotherapon unicolor (Perciformes: Terapontidae); Glossamia aprion (Perciformes: Apogonidae); Lates calcarifer (Perciformes: Latidae); Mogurnda mogurnda and Oxyeleotris lineolata (Perciformes: Eleotridae); Toxotes chatareus (Perciformes: Toxotidae); Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum (Atheriniformes: Atherinidae); Melanotaenia australis and Melanotaenia splendida (Atheriniformes: Melanotaeniidae); Nematalosa erebi (Clupeiformes: Clupeidae); Neoarius graeffei (Siluriformes: Ariidae); Neosilurus ater (Siluriformes: Plotosidae); and Planiliza ordensis (Mugiliformes: Mugilidae). These species are widely distributed and common in northern Australia, and are encountered over a range of environmental conditions in the region (Pusey et al., 2017). ...
Trait‐based models of ecological communities and ecosystem functioning often fail to account for intraspecific variation in functional traits, assuming that intraspecific variability is negligible compared with interspecific variability. However, this assumption remains poorly tested across vertebrate animals where past studies routinely describe species according to mean trait values without explicit consideration of individual trait variability. We assessed nine functional traits for 4254 individuals belonging to 15 freshwater fish species from 11 families in northern Australia, including body elongation, body shape, caudal peduncle throttle, eye size, eye position, gape shape, gape size, mouth position, and pectoral fin length. We quantified the extent and geography of intraspecific trait variability and its relationship with riverine hydrologic regimes using a structured sampling design. Using a combination of single‐ and multi‐trait analyses, we demonstrate that intraspecific trait variability can contribute up to 70% of the total trait variability depending on the attribute considered and averaged 31% across all traits. The magnitude of intraspecific trait variability also varied across the hydrological permanency gradient. Fish assemblages in intermittent streams subjected to frequent environmental disturbance had high intraspecific trait variability, most likely due to strong abiotic filters limiting interspecific divergence. Conversely, assemblages in perennial rivers with less harsh environmental filters but with a larger pool of species expressed lower intraspecific trait variability: This is most likely due to stronger resource competition (biotic filter), which promotes specialization of resource use and, consequently, interspecific divergence. Our study provides the first evidence of intraspecific trait variability driven by a disturbance gradient for an animal group and points to the need for additional research into the functional importance of intraspecific variability in animal ecology. A better understanding of the patterns, drivers, and implications of intraspecific trait variability will help guide mechanistic‐based predictions of the effects of environmental changes on community assemblage and ecosystem processes.
... The genus between the two if only morphological traits are used as bases for identification. Pusey et al. (2017) noted that many of the reports of G. giuris in some regions in Australia may actually be referring to G. aureus. Other species of Glossogobius also closely resemble G. aureus and G. giuris, which is why misidentifications are common for this group of fishes (Akihito and Meguro 1975). ...
Glossogobius is the most speciose among all the genera of the family Gobiidae. Eight species of Glossogobius have been reported in the Philippines, which include the most abundant and commercially important species, G. aureus. In this study, Glossogobius specimens were collected from nine lakes in the Philippines. A total of 113 specimens were DNA barcoded using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Additional sequences of Glossogobius were mined from GenBank. The neighbor-joining (NJ) tree showed that all the specimens from Laguna de Bay, Naujan, Buluan, Bato, Buhi, and Paoay lakes clustered with G. aureus sequences from GenBank with a 99% bootstrap support. Ten of the 14 specimens from Taal Lake were also included in this cluster; the other four specimens morphologically identified as G. illimis formed a separate cluster. The specimens from Lake Lanao formed two separate groups: one group clustered with G. aureus, while the other group formed a separate cluster and were designated as G. cf. aureus because they are morphologically similar to G. aureus, but are genetically divergent from it. All the 20 specimens from Lake Mainit formed a separate cluster and are most likely a new and still undescribed species. DNA barcoding also lends support to previous studies which showed, based on morphological data, that G. giuris and G. celebius are species complexes. Within-species genetic distances suggest that G. callidus, G. bicirrhosus, and G. circumspectus are also species complexes. The discovery of possibly new species from Lake Mainit, cryptic species from Lake Lanao, and the presence of species complexes in Glossogobius have implications on the proper conservation and management of these important fishery resources.
