ELEOTRIDAE, Gudgeons or sleepers
The taxonomy of Australian mogurndas was recently briefly reviewed by Allen & Jenkins (1999). Genetic evidence suggests that there are several more species present than presently recognised.
To around 150mm (6in) TL.
Not listed.
Restricted to the Finke River. They are primarily found in the upper parts of the drainage in the Macdonnell Ranges where they are usually common, though rarely abundant.
In the Finke River, they are found in the larger waterholes in the upper reaches of the system. They are usually collected from shallow vegetated areas with abundant cover. Finke mogurnda are probably an ambush predator. They are essentially carnivorous, and will feed upon items such as invertebrates and fish.
Spawning for all Australian Mogurnda spp. is basically the same. In nature, they probably spawn throughout the warmer months of the year. In aquaria, they spawn at temperatures over 20°C (68°F). Females lay between 200-800 eggs, usually on the underside of a hard object. The male guards the eggs until fry hatch in seven days. Spawnings are generally repeated, as long as temperature is maintained above 20°C (68°F) (Young 1987; Hanson 1988). Fry are around 5mm (0.2in) long and they will eat newly hatched brine shrimp as a first food. There is no further parental care after hatching. They also have several sexually dimorphic characters, although the differences are subtle. The genus Mogurnda is one of the few for which life history information is available based upon central Australian individuals.
The greatest threat is their restricted habitat. In the Finke River the principal threat is the potential introduction of exotic species.
Most of the more permanent waterholes in the Finke River are protected within conservation reserves and National Parks. There is no regular formal monitoring of fish populations in the Finke River.
Develop a monitoring plan for the Finke River populations.
Allen, G.R. & Jenkins, A.P. 1999. A review of the Australian freshwater gudgeons, genus Mogurnda (Eleotridae) with descriptions of three new species. Aqua, Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology. 3(4): 141-156.
Hansen, B. 1988. The purple-spotted gudgeon, Mogurnda adspersa. Fishes of Sahul. 5(1): 200-202. (Journal of the Australian New Guinea Fishes Association, Australia).
Young, M. 1987. A tank breeding of Mogurnda mogurnda. Fishes of Sahul. 4(3): 174-177. (Journal of the Australian New Guinea Fishes Association, Australia).
Search these web pages
This file was last modified: 18 March 2003