Glover's Hardyhead, Craterocephalus gloveri Crowley & Ivantsoff 1990

Summary:

Glover’s Hardyhead has a restricted range found only at Dalhousie Springs where they are usually abundant. This species has a high thermal tolerance allowing them to occur in warm groundwater at the source of spring discharge. Glover’s Hardy head is a small species with a dark mid-lateral stripe that extends through the eye to the snout.

Cite this page as:

Vanessa J. Thompson, Craterocephalus gloveri in Fishes of Australia, accessed 01 Dec 2023, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/1379

Glover's Hardyhead, Craterocephalus gloveri Crowley & Ivantsoff 1990

More Info

Distribution	Known from only three springs at Dalhousie Springs in the Lake Eyre basin, South Australia. Inhabiting warm, freshwater spring-fed pools and channels.
Features	D1 V-VI; D2 I, 5-6; A I, 6-7; P 10-13; GR on first lower arch 7-10; vertebrae 32-33 Body slender, laterally compressed, relatively elongate; maximum body depth 3.3-3.9 in SL; head length in SL 3.3-3.9; mouth small; lips moderately thin; posterior third to half of gape restricted by labial ligament; eye diameter 2.7-3.1 in HL; teeth in 3-4 rows, sharply pointed. Scales well developed with distinct circuli posteriorly; vertical scale rows 30-33; horizontal scale rows 7-8. Two separate dorsal fins; origin of first dorsal just behind origin of ventral fin; origin of second dorsal fin above origin of anal fin; spines of first dorsal fin weak but not extended or filamentous; caudal fin forked
Size	To 5.2 cm SL
Colour	Pale silvery yellow to dusky dorsally; abdomen pale to slovery; dark mid lateral stripe from eye to snout; eye pale gold.
Feeding	Omnivorous likely to feed on small crustaceans, aquatic insects and algae.
Biology	Little is known of the reproductive biology of this species, however they are likely to be serial pair spawners that deposit adhesive eggs amongst aquatic vegetation. In aquaria this species lays a few eggs a day.
Fisheries	No existing fishery
Conservation	Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Not listed under the Australian EPBC act. Listed as vulnerable by the Australian Society for Fish Biology
Remarks	Craterocephalus gloveri was only recently recognised as a separate species to C. dalhousiensis and it appears the species may be sympatric in one of the 3 springs they inhabit (i.e. no interbreeding with C. gloveri in the other springs).
Similar Species	Craterocephalus gloveri is morphologically similar to C. dalhousiensis but differs in not being sexually dimorphic, in having a more slender body and lacking teeth on the outside of the mouth. Craterocephalus gloveri also tends to inhabit slighter cooler springs than C. dalhousiensis.
Etymology	Generic name Craterocephalus comes from the Greek meaning bowl or basin and head, possibly in reference to the strong head of species in this genus. Species is named gloveri after Mr. C.J.M. Glover, Curator of Fishes of the South Australian Museum, Adelaide.
Species Citation	Craterocephalus gloveri Crowley, L.E.L.M. & Ivantsoff, W. (1990). A second hardyhead, Craterocephalus gloveri (Pisces: Atherinidae), from Dalhousie Springs, central Australia. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshw. 1(2): 113–122 [115 fig. 1 ]. Kidney Shaped Pool, 0.8 km west northwest of Main Spring, Dalhousie Springs, central Australia.
Author	Vanessa J. Thompson

Glover's Hardyhead, Craterocephalus gloveri Crowley & Ivantsoff 1990

References

Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. (2002). Field guide to the freshwater fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp.

Crowley, L. E. L. M. & Ivantsoff, W. (1989). An historical overview of the genus Craterocephalus with special reference to the hardyheads from Dalhousie Springs. In, Natural History of Dalhousie Springs. Eds. Zeidler, W. & Ponder, W. F. South Australian Museum, Adelaide. pp 113-118.

Crowley, L.E.L.M. & Ivantsoff, W. (1990). A second hardyhead, Craterocephalus gloveri (Pisces: Atherinidae), from Dalhousie Springs, central Australia. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshw. 1(2): 113–122

Crowley, L.E.L.M. & Ivantsoff, W. (1992). Redefinition of the freshwater fish genus Craterocephalus (Teleostei: Atherinidae) of Australia and New Guinea with an analysis of three species. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshw. 3(3): 273–287

Glover, C. J. M. (1989). Fishes. In, Natural History of Dalhousie Springs. Eds. Zeidler, W. & Ponder, W. F. South Australian Museum, Adelaide. pp 89-112.

McDowall, R.M. (1996). Freshwater Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Sydney : Reed Books 2nd Edn 247 pp.

Wager, R. (1996). Craterocephalus gloveri. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.3. www.iucnredlist.org

Wager, R. & Unmack, P.J. (2000). Fishes of the Lake eyre catchment of central Australia. Department of Primary Industries Queensland Fisheries Service 88 pp.