Congolli, Pseudaphritis urvillii (Valenciennes 1832)
Congolli, Pseudaphritis urvillii. Source: Rudie H. Kuiter / Aquatic Photographics. License: All rights reserved
A slender mottled brownish fish with a silvery-white underside, a somewhat flattened head with eyes close together near the top, a sharply-pointed snout, two separate dorsal fins, the second long-based and similar to the anal fin.
Congolli inhabit slow-moving waters of estuaries, rivers and creeks, often lying motionless, partly buried, blending in with the detritus and leaf litter on the bottom. They can easily move between brackish and freshwater habitats.
Congolli, Pseudaphritis urvillii (Valenciennes 1832)
More Info
|
Distribution |
Endemic to coastal streams of southern Australia, from about Mogo (New South Wales) to the western side of Spencer Gulf (South Australia), and throughout coastal rivers of Tasmania. Inhabits brackish estuaries and the lower reaches of slow-flowing freshwater streams that are connected to the sea. Congolli live amongst debris and leaf litter, or beneath logs and overhanging banks in pools and streams. Juveniles often shelter amongst large boulders in estuaries and the lower reaches of streams. Large individuals are most common at the upstream extent of their range, with males and females appearing to live in different parts of their habitat. Mature adults migrate downstream into estuaries during the autumn and winter to breed. The larvae are carried out to sea, and juveniles usually remain in the lower parts of rivers, slowly moving upstream as they grow. |
|
Features |
Dorsal fin VII-IX, 19-22; Anal fin II, 21-22; Pectoral fin 17-19; Pelvic fin I, 5; Lateral line scales 59-66. Body almost cylindrical, elongate, slender, depth about 6-7 times in SL, somewhat compressed posteriorly; dorsal profile almost straight. Head conical, sharply pointed, somewhat depressed. Eyes small, close together, almost on top of head. Mouth rather small, extending back to below about middle of eye; lower jaw longer than upper jaw; both jaws with bands of villiform teeth. Operculum with inconspicuous flattened spine. Two dorsal fins separated by distinct gap; first short-based, triangular, composed of weak spines; second long-based, composed of rays. Anal fin long-based, opposite and longer than second dorsal fin. Caudal fin slightly rounded. Pectoral fins large, somewhat rounded, reaching back to behind first dorsal fin. Ventral fins thoracic, inserted anterior to base of pectoral fins. Scales ctenoid, of moderate size, covering head and body. Lateral line uninterrupted, following dorsal profile. |
|
Size |
To around 35 cm TL, commonly to 15-20 cm. |
|
Colour |
Colour varies with habitat. Bluish, purplish or reddish-brown marbled with greenish-brown above, yellowish white to silvery below; dark blotches usually on dorsal surface, some with a dark stripe below the lateral line connected at intervals by vertical bars to a broken stripe along the abdomen; head marbled blackish and yellow, sometimes marked with purple and red; two oblique black bars angled posteroventrally from the eye; sometimes a third oblique dark bar in front of eye; eye yellow. Anal fin pinkish; other fins colourless to pale straw and, except for anal and pelvic fins, with dark, usually brown, spots appearing as dashed lines. Juveniles with evenly-spaced, black saddles on dorsal surface. |
|
Feeding |
Feeds on small fishes and benthic invertebrates, including insects, crustaceans, molluscs and worms. Congolli feed mostly on insects in fresh water and crustaceans in estuaries. This ambush predator often lies buried in sand with only their eyes protruding. |
|
Biology |
Congolli are catadromous, living in freshwater habitats as adults. During winter months, they undertake downstream spawning migrations. The larvae develop at sea, before returning to freshwater habitats as juveniles. Congolli are sexually dimorphic in size. Males usually attain a maximum size of 15 cm and are most common in estuaries and brackish waters. Individuals greater than 20 cm in length are nearly always female, and commonly occur in freshwater habitats. Females migrate downstream to the tidal parts of estuaries to breed during autumn-winter (late April to mid August). where they spawn demersal eggs in sandy and weedy areas. Congolli mature after about 5 years when individuals reach about 15 cm SL. |
|
Fisheries |
Until relatively recent times, the species was also a minor part of commercial fisheries in the Lower Lakes of the River Murray, South Australia. Although not targeted commercially now, and rarely large enough, the flesh is excellent eating. Historically, coastal indigenous communities consumed Congolli. |
|
Conservation |
During their lifecycle, Congolli migrate between freshwater and marine habitats. Along with reduced water flows due to climate change, the construction of weirs and barrages may impact populations. |
|
Etymology |
The species is named for Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville, a French explorer and naval officer, who who led the expedition during which the type specimen was collected. |
|
Species Citation |
Aphritis urvillii Valenciennes, 1832, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons 8: 484, pl. 243. Type locality: Tasmania |
|
Author |
Bray, D.J. & Thompson, V.J. 2020 |
|
Resources |
Congolli, Pseudaphritis urvillii (Valenciennes 1832)
References
Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp.
Andrews A.P. 1996. Family Bovichtidae. Congolli. pp. 198–199 in McDowall, R.M. (ed.) Freshwater Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Sydney : Reed Books 247 pp.
Balushkin, A.V. 2000. Morphology, classification, and evolution of notothenioid fishes of the Southern Ocean (Notothenioidei, Perciformes). Journal of Ichthyology 40(Supplement 1): 74-109
Bice, C., Gilligan, D. & Koehn, J. 2019. Pseudaphritis urvillii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T122913501A123382361. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T122913501A123382361.en. Downloaded on 02 December 2020.
Bice, C.M., Hammer, M.P., Wedderburn, S.D., Ye, Q. & Zampatti, B.P. 2018. Fishes of the Lower Lakes and Coorong: an inventory and summary of life history, population dynamics and management. pp. 371-399 in Shepard, S.A., Ye, Q. & Mosely, L.M. (eds) Natural History of the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region (Yarluwar-Ruwe). Royal Society of South Australia, Adelaide.
Bice, C.M., Zampatti, B.P. & Morrongiello, J.R. 2018. Connectivity, migration and recruitment in a catadromous fish. Marine and Freshwater Research 69: 1733-1745. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF17388
Cadwallader, P.L. & Backhouse, G.N. 1983. A Guide to the Freshwater Fish of Victoria. Melbourne : F.D. Atkinson Government Printer 249 pp. figs.
Castelnau, F.L. de 1872. Contribution to the ichthyology of Australia. 1. The Melbourne fish market. Proceedings of the Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria 1: 29-242 1 pl. (described as Pseudaphritis bassii)
Chilcott, S. J. & Humphries, P. 1996. Freshwater fish of northeast Tasmania with notes on the dwarf galaxias. Records of the Queen Victoria Museum, Launceston 103: 145-149
Crook, D.A., Koster, W.M., Macdonald, J.I. Nicol, S.J., Belcher, Dawson, D.R., O’Mahony, D.J., Lovett, D., Walker, A. & Bannam, L. 2010. Catadromous migrations by female tupong (Pseudaphritis urvillii) in coastal streams in Victoria, Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 61: 474–483 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF09170
Cuvier, G.L. in Cuvier, G.L. & Valenciennes, A. 1830. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : Levrault Vol. 5 499 pp. pls 100-140. (described as Eleginus bursinus)
Eckert, J. & Robinson, R. 1990. The fishes of the Coorong. South Australian Naturalist 65: 5–30.
Evans, D. 1991. The Coorong. A multi-species fishery. Part 2. Fishing methods, technology and personal experiences 1930-1966, and gear statistics 1972-1989. Fisheries Research Paper, Department of Fisheries South Australia. No. 22: 38-60.
Gomon, M.F., Glover, J.C.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 811 figs.
Günther, A. 1874. Pisces. pp. 82-101 in Newton, A. (ed.) in The Zoological Record for 1872. Vol. 9 of the Record of the Zoological Literature. London : John Van Voorst Vol. 9 495 pp. (described as Aphritis dumerili)
Hammer, M.P. & Walker, K.F. 2004. A catalogue of South Australian freshwater fishes, including new records, range extensions and translocations. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 128(2): 85-97
Hortle, M.E. & White, R.W.G. 1980. Diet of Pseudaphritis urvillii (Cuvier and Valenciennes) (Pisces : Bovichthyidae) from south-eastern Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 31: 533-539.
Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp. figs.
Kuiter, R. & Kuiter, S. 2018. Coastal sea-fishes of south-eastern Australia. Seaford, Victoria : Aquatic Photographics, 371 pp.
Last, P.R., Balushkin, A.V. & Hutchins, J.B. 2002. Halaphritis platycephala (Notothenioidei: Bovichtidae): A new genus and species of temperate icefish from southeastern Australia. Copeia 2002(2): 433-440, https://doi.org/10.1643/0045-8511(2002)002[0433:HPNBAN]2.0.CO;2
Last, P.R., Scott, E.O.G. & Talbot, F.H. 1983. Fishes of Tasmania. Hobart : Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority 563 pp. figs.
Lintermans, M. 2007. Fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin — An Introductory Guide. Canberra : Murray-Darling Basin Commission Vol. MDBC Publication Number 10/07 157 pp.
Lloyd, L.N. & Walker, K.F. 1986. Distribution and conservation status of small freshwater fish in the River Murray, South Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 110(2): 49-57.
Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes Biology and Management. Sydney : J.R. Merrick 409 pp. figs 280 col. figs.
Raadik, T.A. 2008. Family Pseudaphritidae. pp. 669-670 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.
Schmidt, D.J., Real, K.M., Crook, D.A. & Hughes, J.M. 2013. Microsatellite markers for Australian temperate diadromous fishes Pseudaphritis urvillii(Bovichtidae) and Lovettia sealii(Galaxiidae). Conservation Genetics Resources 5(2): 347-349. https://doi.org/10.1086/674796
Scott, T.D., Glover, C.J.M. & Southcott, R.V. 1974. The Marine and Freshwater Fishes of South Australia. Adelaide : Government Printer 392 pp. figs.
Stuart, I. G., Ye, Q., Higham, J. & O’Brien, T.A. 2005. Fish migration at Tauwitchere Barrage: new options for fish passage. Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research: Heidelberg, Victoria.
Valenciennes, A. in Cuvier, G.L. & Valenciennes, A. 1832. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : Levrault Vol. 8 509 pp. pls 209-245. See ref at BHL
Verde, C., Howes, B.D., De Rosa, M.C., et al. 2004. Structure and function of the Gondwanian hemoglobin of Pseudaphritis urvillii, a primitive notothenioid fish of temperate latitudes. Protein Science 3(10): 2766–2781. https://doi.org/10.1110/ps.04861504
Waite, E.R. 1921. Illustrated catalogue of the fishes of South Australia. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 2(1): 1-208 293 figs pl. 1
Zampatti, B.P., Bice, C.M. & Jennings, P.R. 2010. Temporal variability in fish assemblage structure and recruitment in a freshwater-deprived estuary: The Coorong, Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 61(11): 1298-1312. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF10024
Zampatti, B.P., Bice, C.M. & Jennings, P.R. 2011. Movements of female Congolli (Pseudaphritis urvillii) in the Coorong and Lower Lakes of the River Murray South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI Publication No. F2011/000333-1. SARDI Research Report Series No. 577. 32 pp.
