Ecology of Australian Freshwater Fishes edited by PaulHumphries and KeithWalker (eds). CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, 2013. xiv + 423 pp. Price A$130.00. ISBN 9780643097438 (hardback).

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. e15-e16
Author(s):  
Geoffrey M. Collins
Keyword(s):  
Freshwater Fishes ◽  
Csiro Publishing ◽  
Australian Freshwater

scholarly journals First record of ‘climbing’ and ‘jumping’ by juvenile Galaxias truttaceus Valenciennes, 1846 (Galaxiidae) from south-western Australia

2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul G. Close ◽  
Tom J. Ryan ◽  
David L. Morgan ◽  
Stephen J. Beatty ◽  
Craig S. Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Swimming Performance ◽  
First Record ◽  
Freshwater Fishes ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Upstream Migration ◽  
Early Life Stages ◽  
Critically Endangered Species ◽  
Juvenile Stages ◽  
Australian Freshwater

Upstream migration of juvenile stages of temperate Australian amphidromous fish typically coincides with seasonally low river discharge when hydraulic (e.g. cascades) and physical (e.g. rock bars) barriers may be common. The ability to ‘climb’ or ‘jump’ may be expected to assist in negotiating low-flow barriers; however, it is presumed to be limited to a few native Australian freshwater fishes. Juvenile stages of Galaxias truttaceus Valenciennes, 1846 were observed ‘climbing’ and ‘jumping’ to successfully negotiate a low, vertical weir wall during their upstream recruitment migrations in south-western Australia. Based on this observation, we propose initial definitions for ‘climbing’ and ‘jumping’ to describe locomotory strategies employed by fishes to negotiate obstacles that would otherwise prevent free passage by normal swimming behaviour. Greater knowledge of the climbing, jumping and swimming performance, especially for small-bodied species and early life stages, will help improve the management of instream barriers for this critically endangered species and other freshwater fishes of southern Australia.

Phylogeography of the freshwater catfish Tandanus tandanus (Plotosidae): a model species to understand evolution of the eastern Australian freshwater fish fauna

2008 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean R. Jerry
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
Freshwater Fishes ◽  
Phylogeographic Structure ◽  
Biogeographic Patterns ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Australian Freshwater

The geologically complex eastern Australian coastal margin supports the highest taxonomic diversity of freshwater fishes on the continent. However, mechanisms leading to coastal biogeographic patterns are poorly understood. A 399-bp fragment of the hypervariable mtDNA control region was sequenced from populations of eel-tailed catfish (Tandanus tandanus) to determine their phylogeographic structure and to relate this to proposed biogeographic mechanisms and landform evolution. Genetic structure in Tandanus is complex, with haplotypes clustering into three lineages: a phylogenetically distant, northern Queensland clade that is probably a new species; a mid-northern New South Wales clade corresponding to the recently discovered ‘Bellinger’ Tandanus cryptic species; and a third ‘derived’ clade T. tandanus. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that eastern Australian Tandanus originally invaded freshwaters from the coast where volcanic activity in the north and increasing aridity from the Paleocene reduced inter-fluvial connections, causing genetic divergence of northern Queensland and mid-northern New South Wales populations. The haplotypes represented by Murray–Darling drainage T. tandanus were the most derived, indicating that this species originally evolved on the coast and subsequently colonised the Murray–Darling basin. Tandanus in eastern Australia is phylogenetically structured and possibly comprises three species in this region; a pattern potentially shared by other eastern Australian freshwater fishes.

A molecular assessment of species boundaries and phylogenetic affinities in Mogurnda (Eleotridae): a case study of cryptic biodiversity in the Australian freshwater fishes

2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (10) ◽  
pp. 920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Adams ◽  
Timothy J. Page ◽  
David A. Hurwood ◽  
Jane M. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Fish Fauna ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Freshwater Fishes ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Sister Relationship ◽  
Freshwater Fish Fauna ◽  
Molecular Assessment ◽  
Cryptic Biodiversity ◽  
Australian Freshwater

As the driest inhabitable continent, it comes as no surprise that Australia has comparatively few species of freshwater-dependent fishes compared with land masses of similar size and latitudinal coverage. In addition to relatively low rainfall and few permanent waterbodies, a range of other climatic, geological, physical, and biogeographical factors are generally offered up, to account for the low species count in a country otherwise regarded as mega-biodiverse. Here, we challenge this traditional view by hypothesising that Australia’s lack of freshwater fishes largely reflects a dearth of detailed taxonomic activity. Using both allozyme and mtDNA markers, we undertook a molecular assessment on the Australian purple-spotted gudgeons (Mogurnda), recently subjected to a taxonomic revision that saw a three-fold increase in the number of described species. In addition to demonstrating additional, species-level biodiversity within M. adspersa, our genetic data revealed discordant patterns of mitochondrial and nuclear genetic affinities among populations in several species, plus a sister relationship between the two central Australian species. We discuss the broader implications of such cryptic biodiversity for the Australian freshwater fish fauna; most notable among these is our prediction that only 50% of species have been described.

Ecology of Australian Freshwater Fishes

2013 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Freshwater Fishes ◽  
Fish Ecology ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
Australian Fish ◽  
Patterns And Processes ◽  
Fish Habitats ◽  
Australian Freshwater ◽  
Present Understanding ◽  
Conservation And Management

This edited volume reviews our past and present understanding of the ecology of Australian freshwater fishes. It compares patterns and processes in Australia with those on other continents, discusses the local relevance of ecological models from the northern hemisphere and considers how best to manage our species and their habitats in the face of current and future threats. In view of these challenges, the need for redress is urgent. The chapters are written by some of our foremost researchers and managers, developing themes that underpin our knowledge of the ecology, conservation and management of fish and fish habitats. For each theme, the authors formulate a synthesis of what is known, consider the need for new perspectives and identify gaps and opportunities for research, monitoring and management. The themes have an Australian context but draw upon ideas and principles developed by fish biologists in other parts of the world. The science of freshwater fish ecology in Australia has grown rapidly from its roots in natural history and taxonomy. This book offers an introduction for students, researchers and managers, one that the authors hope will carry Australian fish biology and resource management to new levels of understanding.

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