Darwin's Mudskipper, Periophthalmus darwini Larson & Takita 2004
A female Darwin's Mudskipper, Periophthalmus darwini, from Purutu Island, Fly River delta, Papua New Guinea. Source: Gianluca Polgar / FishBase . License: CC By Attribution-NonCommercial
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2018, Periophthalmus darwini in Fishes of Australia, accessed 05 Oct 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2261
Darwin's Mudskipper, Periophthalmus darwini Larson & Takita 2004
More Info
Distribution |
Roebuck Bay, near Broome, Western Australia, and Darwin to Melville Island, Northern Territory. The species occurs elsewhere in Papua New Guinea. |
Features |
Dorsal fin V-VII + 10-12; Anal fin I, 11-13; Pectoral fin 11-13; Caudal-fin rays usually only with ventral-most 6-7 rays branched, dorsal-most 8-9 rays rarely branched; Lateral scales 58-78; Predorsal scales usually 24-25. Body depth at anal fin origin 10.6-14.6% of SL; Dorsal fin greatly reduced (depressed dorsal 5.1-9.6% of SL) in both sexes, usually with only five spines, fin widely separated from second dorsal fin origin; pelvic fins united for half their length, distinct fraenum present, posterior tips of fins pointed to bluntly pointed, fifth ray bifurcating close to base and branching about 9 times. |
Colour |
First dorsal fin plain blackish except for slightly paler base and narrow whitish margin; second dorsal fin translucent with broad submarginal black band and a row of black spots or blotches along fin base; no melanophores on anal fin; pelvic fins whitish or with some fine speckling; orange spots may be present on lower side of head and body. |
Etymology |
The species is named darwini for the naturalist Charles Darwin, after whom Darwin Harbour (the type locality) was named. |
Species Citation |
Periophthalmus darwini Larson & Takita 2004, Beagle, Rec. Mus. Art Gall. N. T. 20: 176, figs 1-2. Type locality: Mickett Creek, Shoal Bay, Northern Territory. |
Author |
Bray, D.J. 2018 |
Resources |
Darwin's Mudskipper, Periophthalmus darwini Larson & Takita 2004
References
Jaafar, Z. & Larson, H.K. 2008. A new species of mudskipper, Periophthalmus takita (Teleostei: Gobiidae: Oxudercinae), from Australia, with a key to the genus. Zoological Science (Tokyo) 25: 946–952
Jaafar, Z. & Murdy, E.O. (eds) 2017. Fishes Out of Water: Biology and Ecology of Mudskippers. Boca Rotan, Florida : CRC Press 390 pp.
Larson, H.K. & Takita, T. 2004. Two new species of Periophthalmus (Teleostei: Gobiidae, Oxudercinae) from northern Australia, and a re-diagnosis of Periophthalmus novaeguineaensis. The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory 20: 175-185
Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293
Murdy, E.O. 1989. A taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of the oxudercine gobies (Gobiidae: Oxudercinae). Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 11: 1-93 figs 1-98 pls 1-3 (in part as Periophthalmus novaeguineaensis)
Murdy, E,O. & Jaafar, Z. 2017. Chapter 1: Taxonomy and Systematics Review. pp. 1-36 in Jaafar, Z. & Murdy, E.O. (eds). Fishes Out of Water: Biology and Ecology of Mudskippers. Boca Rotan, Florida : CRC Press 390 pp.
Polgar, G., Sacchetti, A. & Galli, P. 2010. Differentiation and adaptive radiation of amphibious gobies (Gobiidae: Oxudercinae) in semi-terrestrial habitats. Journal of Fish Biology 77: 1645–1664 DOI:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2010.02807.x Abstract
Takita, T., Larson, H.K. &.Ishimatsu, A. 2011. The natural history of mudskippers in northern Australia, with field identification characters. The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory 27: 189-204