Bachsten Gudgeon, Hypseleotris garawudjirri Shelley, Delaval & Le Feuvre 2023

Other Names: Garawud jirri

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2025, Hypseleotris garawudjirri in Fishes of Australia, accessed 27 Jun 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/5718

Bachsten Gudgeon, Hypseleotris garawudjirri Shelley, Delaval & Le Feuvre 2023

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Distribution	Endemic to the Kimberley region of north Western Australia: widespread in the neighbouring Charnley, Calder and Sale rivers that drain westward off the Kimberley Plateau. Prefers slow flowing deep-water habitat over sandy to rocky substrates, often near crevices, around aquatic plants or near woody debris.
Features	Dorsal fin VI-VII + I, 10-13; Anal fin I, 10-12; Pectoral fin 14-15; Caudal fin segmented rays 15, branched rays 11; Longitudinal scales 30-32; Transverse scales backward 9-10; Predorsal scales 14-15; Postdorsal scale count 8-11; Gill rakers (outer face of first arch) 2-3 + 8-11. Body slender, compressed, more so posteriorly; body depth at anal-fin origin 14.1-21.2% of SL; body depth at pelvic-fin origin 14.3–19.3% of SL Large males with somewhat convex nape, 'hump' absent; eyes not protruding above head profile.
Colour	Head and body tan to brown, slightly lighter tan-brown on ventral surface of head and abdomen, scale margins narrowly outlined with dark brown. Dorsal saddles and vertical bars alongside of body dusky to dark brown. Series of small dark blotches/bars below midline black. Internal narrow pale golden-brown stripe running from eye nearly to midcaudal fin base, following top of vertebral column. Short black vertical blotch on lower base of caudal fin. Grey-black bar on pectoral base. Head above eye brown to dark brown. Head under eye light brown to translucent. Scattered spots or blotches of iridescent gold pigment may show through body wall of upper abdomen and side of head. Lips dusky grey to light brown. Pupil surrounded by rim of pale gold, most of eye brownish-gold. Dorsal and anal fins dusky grey to transparent basally, sometimes with whitish spots, followed distally by broad bright orange submarginal band (sometimes split into two bands in first dorsal), and narrow dusky-white band at fin margin. Caudal fin with light orange to dusky in middle rays, bright orange outer rays for ¾ of ray length, the light dusky fin margin. Covered in white spots that may form 3-4 wavy, slightly convex bands.
Feeding	with a diet consisting mainly of insect larvae and microcrustaceans.
Biology	Although little is known about the ecology of this species, other members of the genus Hypseleotris are oviparous benthic spawners. Breeding was observed during the dry season, however, they likely breed several times throughout the year.
Remarks	The Ngarinyin people know this fish as Garawud jirri.
Similar Species	Differs from its congeners in having the following combination of characters: dorsal and anal fins with broad bright orange submarginal band (sometimes split into two bands in first dorsal), and narrow dusky-white band at fin margin, head with distinctively sparse pattern of sensory papilla on lateral and dorsal surface. Pectoral fin rays 14–15 (usually 15), vertebrae 26, preopercle fringed with scales, sometimes naked, postdorsal scale count 8–11, usually 9, longitudinal scale count 30–32, usually 30, and predorsal typically naked, rarely scaled, and top of eye does not extend beyond dorsal surface of head. In previous studies, this species was treated as Hypseleotris kimberleyensis.
Etymology	The specific name garawudjirri is a combination of the words Garawud Jirri, that mean ‘light/little fish–floating around’ in the Ngarinyin language. It is pronounced: Gaarr—Arrd Jiddy. The name was provided by Ngarinyin elder Matthew Martin in consultation with the Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation. The Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation represents all the Ngarinyin Traditional Owners and their interests. in the Ngarinyin language of the Kimberley Region. The name refers to how the fish is often seen nearly in the water column amongst fallen leaves and Pandanus roots.
Species Citation	Hypseleotris garawudjirri Shelley, Delaval & Le Feuvre 2023, Zootaxa 5311(3): 360, Figs. 7-8. Type locality: Bachsten Creek at Bachsten Track crossing, Calder River catchment, Kimberley Region, Western Australia, Australia, 16°03'17.73"S, 125°12'49.58"E.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2025
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Bachsten Gudgeon, Hypseleotris garawudjirri Shelley, Delaval & Le Feuvre 2023

References

Allen, G.R. & Leggett, R. 1990. A collection of freshwater fishes from the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 14(4): 527-545 fig. 1 (as Hypseleotris kimberleyensis non Hoese & Allen 1982, in part, Calder River)

Hoese, D.F. 2006. Eleotridae. pp. 1596-1611 in Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. Fishes, in Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 35. Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp. (as Hypseleotris kimberleyensis non Hoese & Allen 1982, in part, Calder River)

Moore, G.I. & Hammer, M. 2023. Wilinggin-West Kimberley Bush Blitz: freshwater fishes. Report to the Director of National Parks. Western Australian Museum and Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. 19 pp.
Morgan, D.L., Allen, G.R., Pusey, B.J. & Burrows, D.W. 2011. A review of the freshwater fishes of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Zootaxa 2816: 1-64 (as Hypseleotris kimberleyensis non Hoese & Allen 1982, in part, Calder River)

Shelley, J.J., Delaval, A. & Le Feuvre, M.C. 2023. A revision of the gudgeon genus 𝐻𝑦𝑝𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑜𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑠 (Gobiiformes: Gobioidei: Eleotridae) of northwest Australia, describing three new species and synonymizing the genus 𝐾𝑖𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑜𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑠. Zootaxa 5311(3): 340-374. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5311.3.2

Shelley, J.J. & Le Feuvre, M.C. 2018. Family Eleotridae. pp. 174-203 in Shelley, J.J., Morgan, D.L., Hammer, M.P., Le Feuvre, M.C., Moore, G.I., Gomon, M.F., Allen, M.G. & Saunders, T. A Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of the Kimberley. Murdoch, Western Australia : Murdoch University 262 pp. (as Hypseleotris sp. 2)

Thacker C.E., Geiger D.L., Unmack, P.J. 2022. Species delineation and systematics of a hemiclonal hybrid complex in Australian freshwaters (Gobiiformes: Gobioidei: Eleotridae: Hypseleotris). Royal Society Open Science 9(220201): 1-19 (as Hypseleotris sp. 2)

Thacker, C. & Unmack, P.J. 2005. Phylogeny and biogeography of the eleotrid genus Hypseleotris (Teleostei: Gobioidei: Eleotridae), with redescription of H. cyprinoides. Records of the Australian Museum 57: 1-13 (as Hypseleotris kimberleyensis non Hoese & Allen 1982, in part, Calder River)