Blueback Blue Eye, Pseudomugil cyanodorsalis Allen & Sarti 1983

Other Names: Blueback Blue-eye, Neon Blue Eye, Neon Blue-eye

Summary:

The colourful males are metallic blue, peppered with fine black spots, with a narrow dark mid-lateral stripe, a small yellowish patch at the base of the rear of the first dorsal fin, and blackish leading edges on the dorsal, anal and pectoral and caudal fins. Females are a semi-transparent silvery-grey with translucent fins and a white abdomen.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2024, Pseudomugil cyanodorsalis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 May 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4092

Blueback Blue Eye, Pseudomugil cyanodorsalis Allen & Sarti 1983

More Info

Distribution	Coastal catchments from Crab Creek (E of Broome) and around Wyndham, Western Australia, and between Darwin and the Cobourg Peninsula, and Melville Island, Northern Territory, and the Normanton River, Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. A euryhaline species capable of tolerating a wide range of ecological conditions, preferring muddy mangrove-lined creeks; also in pure freshwater habitats, especially during the wet season.
Features	Dorsal fin III-V + 4-7; Anal fin I, 9-13; Mid-lateral scales 22-26ft rays: 9 - 13. Premaxilla wide, ascending process short, lateral process absent; vomer wide, slightly curved.
Size	3.5 cm TL (total length)
Fisheries	A popular aquarium fish.
Etymology	The specific name is from the Greek cyano- (= blue) and the Latin dorsalis (= of the back) in reference to the iridescent blue along the back males.
Species Citation	Pseudomugil cyanodorsalis Allen & Sarti, 1983, Rev. Franç. d'Aquariol. Herpétol. 10(2): 47, fig. 1. Type locality: Crab Creek, about 15 km east of Broome, Western Australia, about 17°59'S, 122°23'E.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2024
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Blueback Blue Eye, Pseudomugil cyanodorsalis Allen & Sarti 1983

References

Allen, G.R. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Neptune, New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 240 pp.

Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum, 394 pp.

Allen, G.R. & Sarti, N. 1983. Pseudomugil cyanodorsalis, une nouvelle espèce de blue-eye (Melanotaeniidae) d'Australie nord-occidentale. Revue Française d'Aquariologie et Herpétologie 10(2): 47-50 figs 1-4

Ivantsoff, W. 1999. Pseudomugilidae. pp. 2109-2112 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 2069-2790 pp.

Larson, H.K. & Williams, R.S. 1997. Darwin Harbour fishes: a survey and annotated checklist. pp. 339-380 in Hanley, H.R., Caswell, G., Megirian, D. & Larson, H.K. (eds). The Marine Flora and Fauna of Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia. Proceedings of the Sixth International Marine Biology Workshop. Darwin : Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 466 pp.

Saeed, B., Ivantsoff, W. & Allen, G.R. 1989. Taxonomic revision of the family Pseudomugilidae (Order Atheriniformes). Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 40: 719-787 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF9890719