Chlamydogobius

Australian Wüstengrundel ( Chlamydogobius eremius )

Chlamydogobius (Greek chlamys, genitive Chlamydos = coat) or Wüstengrundeln is a genus of small freshwater gobies of the family Gobiidae, which are endemic to Australia.

Features

Wüstengrundeln have the typical elongated, rotating, round in cross -section Grundelgestalt, a beefy head and a big mouth. Their color is grayish, often with a coarse net-like pattern. The first dorsal fin is brightly colored, often blue, yellow or white in the upper third and lower than the second dorsal fin, which is blue-gray or transparent. The Wüstengrundeln are five to six inches long. You have no swim bladder and use their pectoral fins to be supported on the ground.

Occurrence

The Wüstengrundeln come locally in the interior of Australia before - up to Chlamydogobius ranunculus, the flat, muddy coastal waters of low salinity in Queensland and lived in the Northern Territory. The occurrence of Chlamydogobius squamigenus and Chlamydogobius micropterus in Queensland are particularly vulnerable because of their limited distribution area. The fed by artesian springs habitats are severely threatened by grazing animals and groundwater extraction. Exotic Gambusia ( Gambusia holbrooki ) may contribute to risk.

Way of life

Wüstengrundeln have to cope with large seasonal changes in water quality and high day-night variations in their arid habitats. The temperatures in the aquatic environment 3-43 ° C vary and briefly reach the salt content of pure fresh water up to 6%. They have been found in waters with extremely low oxygen content ( 0.8 ppm dissolved oxygen ), is often the oxygen concentration below 5 ppm. Under these conditions, they appear and "swallow" air. At the same time they use the effect of evaporative cooling. It was also observed that they stay on algae carry out photosynthesis, presumably to accommodate the produced oxygen.

In these habitats they usually keep to under stones and water plants, where they are protected from predators and extreme temperatures. You can adjust their body coloration of the environment. Wüstengrundeln eat everything, mainly algae, zooplankton, small aquatic insects, fish eggs and detritus. Spawning season is in the natural habitat from November to March, up to 300 eggs are laid under rocks or other hard objects. The males guard the nest and fan continuously brought fresh water to the larvae hatch after 10-17 days. Newly hatched larvae are about 5 mm long. They eat zooplankton and reach after half a year, a size of 4 to 5 cm.

System

In the genus Chlamydogobius six types are summarized below:

  • Australian Wüstengrundel ( Chlamydogobius eremius ) ( Zietz, 1896) - Distribution: south-west of Lake Eyre in South Australia
  • Chlamydogobius gloveri Larson, 1995 - Distribution: Dalhousie Springs, northern South Australia
  • Chlamydogobius japalpa Larson, 1995 - Distribution: water holes in the area of the Finke River to the south of the Northern Territory
  • Chlamydogobius micropterus Larson, 1995 - Occurrence: some sources at Springvale Station, 80 km south-east of Boulia in western Queensland
  • Chlamydogobius ranunculus Larson, 1995 - Distribution: widespread in coastal areas in northern Queensland and the Northern Territory
  • Chlamydogobius squamigenus Larson, 1995 - Occurrence: some sources in Central Queensland in Edgbaston Reserve near Aramac, Barcaldine region, in the catchment area of ​​the Thomson River

Swell

  • Helen K. Larson: A Review of the Australian endemic gobiid genus Chlamydogobius, with description of five new species. In: The Beagle Records of the Northern Territory Museum of the Arts and Sciences. 12, 1995.
  • G. Allen, P. Midgley, M. Allen: Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. 2 edition. Western Australian Museum, Perth 2003, ISBN 0-7307-5486-3.
Gobionellinae Gilbert Percy Whitley Eastern mosquitofish Desert climate Boulia, Queensland Thomson River (Queensland)
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