Greenback Gudgeon, Bunaka gyrinoides (Bleeker 1853)

Other Names: Greenback Guavina, Green-backed Guavina

A Greenback Gudgeon, Bunaka gyrinoides, at Masons Hole, Cape Tribulation, Queensland, July 2015. Source: David Muirhead / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:

A relatively large dark brownish-orange gudgeon with distinctive spotting on the pelvic and anal fins, often with narrow dark lines along the sides (one per scale row), pale brown blotches forming discontinuous bars on the sides and irregular pale brown blotches on the head and lips.

Cite this page as:

Gomon, M.F. & Bray, D.J. 2018, Bunaka gyrinoides in Fishes of Australia, accessed 25 Jan 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4137

Greenback Gudgeon, Bunaka gyrinoides (Bleeker 1853)

More Info

Distribution	Widespread, but uncommon in coastal streams of the wet tropics, Queensland, from the Olive River to the Herbert River, north of Ingham. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, east-Indo-west-central Pacific. Inhabits the lower reaches of small shallow rivers and streams, including estuaries and mangroves, often in freshwater well upstream in pure fresh water, including relatively fast-flowing water. Prefers muddy, rocky, gravel and sand areas, often sheltering around woody debris and leaf litter, and undercut banks.
Features	Dorsal fin VI; I, 8; Anal fin I, 8; Pectoral fin 18-19; Pelvic fin I, 5; Mid-lateral scales 55-60; horizontal scale rows 16-17; vertical scale rows 55-60. Body stout, cylindrical, relatively elongate; head dorsoventrally flattened; mouth large, slightly oblique, reaching back to below mid-eye; teeth in jaws pointed. Two separate dorsal fins; anal fin below 2nd dorsal fin; pectoral fins rounded; pelvic fins separate; caudal fin rounded.
Size	To 15 cm.
Colour	Colour varies with habitat but generally dark brown/orange with distinctive spotting on pelvic and anal fins; often with narrow dark lines (one per scale row); light brown blotches forming discontinuous bars laterally and irregular light brown blotches on head and lips.
Feeding	Feed on gastropods and likely to also consume small fishes and macrocrustaceans.
Biology	Oviparous, benthic spawners; likely to have a marine larval stage.
Species Citation	Eleotris gyrinoides Bleeker 1853, Nat. Tijdschr. Ned. Ind. 4: 243–302. Type locality: Benculen, Priaman, Sumatra, Indonesia.
Author	Gomon, M.F. & Bray, D.J. 2018
Resources	Australian Faunal Directory

Greenback Gudgeon, Bunaka gyrinoides (Bleeker 1853)

References

Allen, G.R. 1991. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of New Guinea. Madang : Christensen Research Institute 268 pp. (as Oxyeleotris gyrinoides)

Allen, G.R., Hortle, K.G. & Renyaan, S.J. 2000. Freshwater fishes of the Timika region, New Guinea. Timinka, Indonesia : P.T. Freeport Indonesia 175 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., Storey, A.W. & Yarrao, M. 2008. Freshwater Fishes of the Fly River Papua New Guinea. Tabubil, Papua New Guinea : Ok Tedi Mining 216 pp.

Bleeker, P. 1853. Diagnostische beschrijvingen van nieuwe of weinig bekende vischsoorten van Sumatra. Tiental V–X. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië 4: 243-302

Fowler, H.W. 1928. The fishes of Oceania. Memoirs of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum 10: 1-540 figs 1-82 pls 1-49

Harry, R.R. 1948. The gobies of the Indo-Malayan eleotrid genus Bunaka. Proceedings of the California Zoology Club 1(3): 13-18

Herre, A.W. 1927. Gobies of the Philippines and China Seas. Monographs of the Bureau of Science. Manila 23: 1-352 pls 1-30 (as Bunaka pinguis)

Hoese, D.F. & Gill, A. 1993. Phylogenetic relationships of eleotridid fishes (Perciformes: Gobioidei). Bulletin of Marine Science 52(1): 415-440

Jordan, D.S. & Seale, A. 1906. The fishes of Samoa. Description of the species found in the Archipelago, with a provisional checklist of the fishes of Oceania. Bulletin of the Bureau of Fisheries (U.S.) for 1905 25: 173-455 figs 1-111 pls 33-53 (as Guavina gyrinoides)

Koumans, F.P. 1940. Results of re-examination of types and specimens of gobioid fishes, with notes on the fish fauna of the surroundings of Batavia. Zoologische Mededelingen (Leiden) 22: 121-210

Koumans, F.P. 1953. The Fishes of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Gobioidea. Leiden : Brill Vol. 10 423 pp. 95 figs.

Larson, H. 2012. Bunaka gyrinoides. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T172450A1342565. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012.RLTS.T172450A1342565.en. Downloaded on 04 May 2018.

Larson, H.K. & Pidgeon, B. 2004. New records of freshwater fishes from East Timor. The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory 20: 195-198.

Martin, K.C. & Barclay, S. 2013. New distribution records for the Cairns rainbowfish Cairnsichthys rhombosomoides (Melanotaeniidae): implications for conservation of a restricted northern population. Aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology [formerly Aqua, Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology] 19(3): 155-164

Munro, I.S.R. 1967. The Fishes of New Guinea. Port Moresby : Dept. Agric. Stock Fish. 651 pp. 23 figs 84 pls.

Pusey, B.J., Kennard, M.J. & Arthington, A.H. 2004. Freshwater Fishes of North-eastern Australia. Collingwood, Victoria : CSIRO Publishing 684 pp.

Unmack, P.J. 2001. Biogeography of Australian freshwater fishes. Journal of Biogeography 28: 1053-1089 (as Oxyeleotris gyrinoides)