Giant Glassfish, Parambassis gulliveri (Castelnau 1878)

Other Names: Chanda Perch, Giant Perchlet, Gulliver's Perchlet

Summary:

The Giant Glassfish is a tropical species found in large rivers of northern Australia. This species is easily distinguished from other Australian ambassids by its large size, humped forehead and pattern of narrow black stripes on the side of the body.

Video of Giant Glassfish in the Territory Wildlife Park, NT

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2022, Parambassis gulliveri in Fishes of Australia, accessed 01 Apr 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4650

Giant Glassfish, Parambassis gulliveri (Castelnau 1878)

More Info

Distribution	Known from a few large rivers of northern Australia including the Ord River, Western Australia, Victoria River, Northern Territory, and the Flinders River and Norman River, Queensland: three areas - southern Gulf of Carpentaria, southwestern Northern Territory, Ord River in the Kimberley. Elsewhere the species occurs in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Inhabits large lowland freshwater rivers and waterholes usually with high turbidity.
Features	Dorsal fin VII, I, 10-11; Anal fin III, 9-10; Pectoral fin 16-17. Body compressed, deep, greatest body depth 42.0 to 47.5% of SL; head length 37.9 to 39.3% of SL; snout length 8.1 to 8.7% SL; eye diameter 10.3 to 13.3 % head length; forehead humped in profile; mouth relatively large; gill rakers well developed; supraorbital spines 1 or 2 (rarely none); nasal spine absent; preorbital ridge usually smooth; suborbital smooth; preorbital edge with 7 to 15 serrae; preopercular ridge with 3 to 13 serrae on lower limb, vertical limb mainly smooth; lower edge of preoperculum with 7 to 28 serrae, hind margin smooth; interoperculum with 4 to 14 minute serrae. Scales relatively small, cycloid; cheek scale rows 4; vertical scale rows in excess of 35; lateral line with 37 to 42 scales, usually continuous throughout its length or occasionally interrupted in middle portion by a few tubeless scales Second dorsal spine longer than third dorsal spine; second anal spine longer than third anal spine.
Colour	Silvery overall series of narrow dark stripes present on side (sometimes only on the upper portion); anal and ventral fins yellowish; dorsal, pectoral and caudal fins dusky.
Feeding	Carnivorous feeding on small fishes and crustaceans.
Biology	Spawning occurs during June to July but little else is known of the reproductive biology of this species.
Fisheries	Used in the aquarium trade.
Remarks	The striped body pattern is generally not evident in juvenile specimens.
Similar Species	Parambassis gulliveri is distinguished from all other Ambassids by the possession of four scale rows on the cheek, a vertical scale row count in excess of 37 and its greater size.
Etymology	The species is named for Mr. Gulliver 'who has resided two years in this settlement, and has done much for the zoology of that remote part of Queensland, has sent me two collections of fishes from this river...'
Species Citation	Acanthoperca gulliveri Castelnau 1878, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. (1)3(1): 45. Type locality: Norman River, Queensland.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2022
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes