Mogurnda clivicola, commonly known as the Flinders Ranges mogurnda, Flinders Ranges purple-spotted gudgeon, Barcoo, or Bulloo mogurnda,[2] is a central Australian gudgeon of the family Eleotridae.
| Mogurnda clivicola | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gobiiformes |
| Family: | Eleotridae |
| Genus: | Mogurnda |
| Species: | M. clivicola
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| Binomial name | |
| Mogurnda clivicola G. R. Allen & A. P. Jenkins, 1999
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Distribution
editFlinders Ranges gudgeons are found in permanent water in an isolated set of spring-fed creeks in the southern Gammon Ranges National Park in the arid South Australian outback.[3] These creeks are often in very steep-sided, rocky gorges.[2][3] This fish's habitat is usually isolated into separate pools and then subject to floods that change the water level by several metres.[citation needed]
These fish have also been recorded in samples taken from the Barcoo and Bulloo Rivers in Queensland away from the main population, in the very different habitat of larger, muddy-bottomed rivers.[2][3]
Description
editFlinders Ranges mogurndas are medium-sized fish, with a maximum total length around 13 cm.[3][4][I] They are dark with a fine mottling of dark grey blotches on the upper side with semi-translucent fins. Usually their body is a paler colour underneath. These fish have a series of burnt orange-coloured stripes running backwards down their cheeks looking like warpaint. Roughly around the lateral line is a display of burnt orange-coloured spots interspersed with paler spots, with a single darker spot on the caudal peduncle. Males develop spectacular spawning colours in summer, namely a more brilliant display of orange spots along the side and to the tail. The anal and spiny and soft dorsal fins are edged with a tiny, iridescent, blue-white stripe. These stripes are somewhat subtle on most of the fins, but are prominent and eye-catching on the spiny dorsal fin. The males also develop a large amount of fat on the top of their heads, giving them a bulbous appearance.[citation needed]
These fish have, in recent times been victims of a dramatic, piebald discolouration of unknown origin.[citation needed]
Ecology and behaviour
editIn the Flinders Ranges, M. clivicola is the only species of fish found in the rocky pools which they inhabit.[2] They will bask lying on the shallow shelves of deeper rock pools, with their tails to one side.[citation needed] From above, in this position, they closely resemble the fallen gum leaves on the substrate. In the Barcoo River, the species usually co-exists with up to 10 other fish species in the typically mud-bottomed lowland streams of that system.[2] Their predators consist mostly of larger birds.[citation needed] They are presumed to be ambush predators.[2] Tadpoles, insects, and other macroinvertebrates probably form a large part of their diet.[citation needed] Breeding and spawning is a complex ritual spread over days.[2] These fish spawn when the water temperature reaches 20 °C or higher.[2][3] The males care for the eggs and guard and fan them with their pectoral fins.[2] The males' behaviour becomes quite territorial and aggressive during breeding season. They have been known to chase the other fish around.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ Whiterod, N., Hammer, M. & Unmack, P. (2019). "Mogurnda clivicola ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T122913831A123382376. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T122913831A123382376.en. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i "Mogurnda clivicola Allen & Jenkins 1999 Flinders Ranges, Barcoo, or Bulloo mogurnda". Desert Fishes Council Australia. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Allen, G.R.; Midgley, S.H.; Allen, M. (2002). Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth: Western Australian Museum. p. 306. ISBN 0-7307-5486-3.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Mogurnda clivicola". FishBase. November 2006 version.
External links
editFurther reading
edit- Allen, Gerald R. (1989). Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Neptune City, N.J.: T.F.H. Publications. pp. 194–196. ISBN 0-86622-936-1. - General information about Mogurnda species, excluding M. clivicola (not described until 1999).
- "Mogurnda clivicola — Flinders Ranges Gudgeon". Species Profile and Threats Database. Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
- Caon, Martin; Hickman, Raymond; Gabb, Robert; Brandle, Robert (2021). "Water quality parameters and population characteristics for the Flinders Ranges Gudgeon". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia. 145 (1): 1–24. doi:10.1080/03721426.2021.1913540. S2CID 234859161.
- Martin Caon, Raymond Hickman, Robert Gabb, Mike Tanner, Garry Trethewey and Robert Brandle (2023): Mogurnda clivicola (Flinders Ranges Mogurnda): Growth rate in the wild and further results of a monitoring program. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 147(1) https://doi.org/10.1080/03721426.2023.2183483