Biology:Pseudaphritis urvillii
| Pseudaphritis urvillii | |
|---|---|
| |
| Waite, Edgar R. (1921) Illustrated Catalogue of the Fishes of South Australia. (Freshwater and Marine Image Bank). | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Suborder: | |
| Family: | Pseudaphritidae
|
| Genus: | Pseudaphritis Castelnau, 1872
|
| Species: | P. urvillii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pseudaphritis urvillii (Valenciennes, 1832)
| |
Pseudaphritis urvillii is the only species of fish in the family Pseudaphritidae and the genus Pseudaphritis. It is known also as the congolli, freshwater flathead, marble fish, marbled flathead, sand trout, sanding, sandy, sandy whiting or tupong.[1] It was initially classified as a member of the family Bovichtidae.[2]
Etymology
The genus name "pseudaphritis" is from the Greek: pseudes, meaning "false", -idos meaning anchovy,[3] and aphritis, derived from aphrioeis meaning "foam" (the same origin as Aphrodite – born from the foam).[4]
Distribution and habitat
The congolli is found in fresh, brackish and marine waters around south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania, and is endemic to Australia. It lives mostly in slow-moving waters of estuaries, rivers and streams.[1] Water temperatures in its habitat range from 5 to 20 °C (41 to 68 °F). This fish will inhabit areas with log snags, overhanging banks, and leaf litter.[3]
Between late April and August, it migrates south to estuaries and sea to breed.[5][6]
In 2017, congolli were recorded in five rivers on Kangaroo Island in South Australia for the first time, thanks to a project conducted by Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) and carried out by a number of citizen science volunteers.[7]
Tupongs have made a recovery in the Glenelg River in south-western Victoria, after years of absence.[8]
Description
The congolli is a slender, mottled fish, with a silvery-white underside. Its head is slightly flattened, with eyes positioned towards the top and the snout is pointed. It has two separate dorsal fins.[1] The colour varies according to where it lives: it may be bluish, purplish or reddish-brown, marbled with greenish-brown above, and a yellowish white to silvery colour below. Juvenile fish have black saddles on their dorsal surfaces.[3]
The largest adult measured is about 36 centimetres (14 in) long. Usually, adults grow up to 17 centimetres (6.7 in) long.[5]
Diet
The congolli is a carnivorous ambush predator, and feeds on insects (especially in freshwater), fish, crustaceans (especially in estuaries), worms, molluscs, and other invertebrates.[3][5][6]
Behaviour
The congolli is an ambush predator that usually buries itself in the substrate.[5]
Reproduction
Congolli are catadromous – they live in freshwater habitats as adults, and migrate downstream to estuaries to spawn.[3] Adults migrate south to estuaries reproduce between late April and August.[5][6] The larvae are carried out to sea, and slowly move upstream as they grow; the larger adults live furthest upstream.[3]
Importance to humans
Aboriginal peoples living in the area used to eat Congolli, and the flesh is today considered "excellent eating". However the fish are rarely large enough and no longer important in commercial fishing, although once a minor part of lower Murray fisheries.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Pseudaphritis urvillii". 30 June 2020. https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/403.
- ↑ Last, PR (2002). "Halaphritis platycephala (Notothenioidei: Bovichtidae): A New Genus and Species of Temperate Icefish from Southeastern Australia". Copeia 2002: 433–440. doi:10.1643/0045-8511(2002)002[0433:hpnban2.0.co;2].
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Pseudaphritis urvillii". 1 July 2020. https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/403#moreinfo.
- ↑ "Family Pseudaphritidae - Catadromous icefishes". https://www.fishbase.se/summary/FamilySummary.php?ID=594.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2015). "Pseudaphritis urvillii" in FishBase. January 2015 version.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Species: Pseudaphritis urvillii (Congolli)". https://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:f838e33f-0de7-4a4a-b7ba-cfd98a3b8222.
- ↑ "Congolli (Pseudaphritis urvillii) discovered in five freshwater rivers across Kangaroo Island". 6 December 2017. http://mlssa.org.au/2017/12/06/27-congolli-have-been-discovered-in-five-freshwater-rivers-across-kangaroo-island-for-the-first-time/.
- ↑ Johnson, Sian (24 February 2021). "Australian grayling found in Glenelg River after 'vanishing' a century ago". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-24/grayling-fish-re-emerges-glenelg-river-century-after-vanishing/13182958.
Further reading
- Lintermans, M. (2007). "Native species: Congolli (tupong, Sandy)". Fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin: An introductory guide. MDBC Publication No. 10/07. Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2007. ISBN 1 921257 20 2. https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/archived/mdbc-NFS-reports/2202_factsheet_native_congolli.pdf.
- "How native congolli fish have been given a lifeline in South Australia". Government of South Australia. 26 March 2020. https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/goodliving/posts/2020/03/lower-lakes-congolli.
Wikidata ☰ {{{from}}} entry
 |
