- Classification
- ACTINOPTERYGII
- PERCIFORMES
- PERCICHTHYIDAE
- Guyu
- wujalwujalensis
Bloomfield River Cod, Guyu wujalwujalensis Pusey & Kennard 2001
Bloomfield River Cod, Guyu wujalwujalensis. Source: Codman / Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
Bloomfield River Cod, Guyu wujalwujalensis Pusey & Kennard 2001
More Info
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Distribution |
Known only from Bloomfield River, northern QLD. Tropical, inhabiting a wide (30-40m) freshwater, clear flowing stream with a rocky bottom. Usually shelters under banks and amongst vegetation during the day, becoming active at night. |
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Features |
D XI-XII, 8-9; A III, 7-9; P 13-14; V I, 5; C 17; GR on 1st arch 13-14 Body sub-ovate and moderately deep, depth increasing with increas-ing size; greatest body depth 27.6-34.9% SL; head moderately large with upper and lower jaws equivalently sized forming a slightly oblique cleft; jaws not reaching back past anterior margin of eye; head profile only slightly concave, straight in specimens less than 70 m SL; snout tapered; eye large, positioned in front half of head; cheek and snout with a series of large, conspicuous pores; jaws, vomer and pharyngeals with villiform teeth. Scales principally ctenoid; small on preoperculum, predorsal area of body and ventral surface anterior to pelvic fins, elsewhere large; head without scales, except preoperculum and operculum; vertical scale rows 37-43; horizontal scale rows 20-26; lateral line scales 37-43. Single dorsal fin; posterior part of dorsal fin, anal, pectoral and caudal fins rounded; ventral fin inserted well behind pectoral fin base, level with 3rd dorsal spine. |
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Size |
To around 10 cm SL. |
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Colour |
Colour varies from light khaki green dorsally and silver white ventrally to dark green dorsally and khaki green ventrally or entirely dark green. Head region greenish yellow with a darker green bar running from snout to front of eye and a dark green bar running below eye from front margin of eye back to opercular margin. A wide oblique iridescent light green band running from just below and behind eye to opercular margin at point of insertion of lower spine present on fish above 55 mm. SL. A similar iridescence present on lower opercular margin and pectoral fin base. Margins of spinose sections of dorsal and anal fins darkly pigmented. |
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Feeding |
Microphagous carnivore feeding mainly on aquatic insect larvae. |
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Biology |
Little is known of the reproductive biology of this species but sexual maturity is attained around 5cm SL. |
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Conservation |
Currently not listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Not listed under the Australian EPBC Act. |
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Remarks |
This species was only recently described and is locally common in the Bloomfield River. |
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Similar Species |
G. wujalwujalensis is most similar to Bostockia porosa from south-western Australia but differs in having a more pointed snout and in colouration. |
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Etymology |
Generic name is derived from the Kuku-yalangi word Kuyu meaning freshwater fish. The species name wujalwujalensis is from Wujal wujal, a traditional name for the area in which it occurs. |
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Species Citation |
Guyu wujalwujalensis Pusey, B.J. & Kennard, M.J. (2001). Guyu wujalwujalensis, a new genus and species (Pisces: Percichthyidae) from north-eastern Queensland, Australia. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshw. 12(1): 17–28 [20, figs. 2-6]. Bloomfield River, QLD [15°58'42"S, 145°17'18"E]. |
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Author |
Vanessa J. Thompson |
Bloomfield River Cod, Guyu wujalwujalensis Pusey & Kennard 2001
References
Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. (2002). Field guide to the freshwater fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp. [194].
Pussy, B.J. & M. J. Kennard, (1994). The freshwater fish fauna of the Wet Tropics Region of northern Queensland. Final report to the Wet Tropics Management Authority.
Pusey B., Kennard M. & Arthington A. (2004) Freshwater Fishes of North-Eastern Australia. CSIRO Publishing Collingwood, Victoria. 684 pp.
