Aru Gudgeon, Oxyeleotris aruensis (Weber 1911)

Summary:

A dark to pale brown gudgeon becoming lighter below, often with a series of dark chevron-shaped markings along the side, and 2-3 dark bands radiating from the eye across the cheek. Individuals, especially smaller fish, have a dark brown ocellus on the upper part of the caudal-fin base. The species has dark or dusky brown fins, and spotted dorsal and caudal fins in juveniles and some adults.

Cite this page as:

Gomon, M.F. & Bray, D.J. 2025, Oxyeleotris aruensis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 22 Jul 2026, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4153

Aru Gudgeon, Oxyeleotris aruensis (Weber 1911)

More Info

Distribution	Western Cape York (Wenlock and Jardine rivers), Eastern Cape York (Pascoe and Mulgrave rivers to the Murray River), and possibly south to Rockhampton, Queensland. Elsewhere the species is occurs in West Papua, Indonesia (Aru Islands) and Papua New Guinea (Fly and Bensbach rivers). Inhabits small rainforest streams, rivers and creeks, usually over gravel and bedrock bottoms in smaller streams, near the source, with low to moderate water velocity.
Features	Dorsal fin VI + I, 12-14; Anal fin I, 10-12; Pectoral fin 13-16; Transverse scales Sc 16-18; Gill rakers (lower limb) 6-7; Vertebrae 27-29. Body elongate, anteriorly depressed, posteriorly compressed, depth 4.5-5.5 in SL. Head depressed, profile straight, 2.75-3.2 in SL. Snout slightly shorter than eye to as long as eye, tip before lower margin of eye. Anterior nostril in short tube. Eye diameter 4.5-6.0 in head length; interorbital 1-2 eye diameters. Lower jaw prominent, mouth oblique, reaching to below anterior part or middle of eye; jaw teeth in several rows, upper jaw with outer row slightly enlarged; outer row in lower jaw at front and a few teeth laterally of inner row enlarged. Head pores minute; some open pores around eyes and along posterior margin of preopercle. Mucous canals radiating under eye; two canals longitudinally on cheek. Scales on body ctenoid, cycloid on nape, breast and belly; longitudinal series 55-60; cycloid scales on head scaled above from dorsal fin to in front of eyes, on cheek and opercle; predorsal scales 35-40. Two dorsal fins, first dorsal fin much lower than body depth; height of second dorsal about 0.67 body depth; caudal fin rounded. Pectoral fin rounded, as long as head without snout. Pelvic fins separate, slightly shorter than pectorals.
Size	To around 16 cm SL, commonly to 10 cm SL.
Colour
Feeding	Feeds on terrestrial and aquatic insects, crustaceans, and fishes.
Biology	Likely to be oviparous, benthic spawners.
Similar Species	This species is similar to and difficult to separate from the Fimbriate Gudgeon, Oxyeleotris fimbriata. While both occur in rivers of Cape York, the Fimbriate Gudgeon is known from much further south on the east coast of Queensland.
Etymology	Named for the Aru Island, Indonesia, the type locality.
Species Citation	Eleotris (Oxyeleotris) aruensis Weber 1911, Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 34: 33, pl. 1(5). Type locality: Terangan and Central Kobroor, Aru Island, Aru Islands, Maluku, Indonesia.
Author	Gomon, M.F. & Bray, D.J. 2025
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Aru Gudgeon, Oxyeleotris aruensis (Weber 1911)

References

Allen, G.R. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Neptune, New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 240 pp. pls 1–63.

Allen, G.R. 1991. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of New Guinea. Madang, Papua New Guinea : Christensen Research Institute, Publication No. 9, 268 pp.

Allen, G.R. & Hoese, D.F. 1980. A collection of fishes from the Jardine River, Cape York Peninsula, Australia. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 63(2): 53–61 figs 1–2 (as Oxyeleotris sp. A).

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.

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

Hammer, M., Brooks, S. & Ebner, B. 2019. Oxyeleotris aruensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T122913912A123382391. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T122913912A123382391.en. Accessed on 05 September 2025.

Pusey, B.J., Burrows, D.W., Kennard, M.J., Perna, C.N., et al. 2017. Freshwater fishes of northern Australia. Zootaxa 4253(1): 1-104.

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

Weber, M. 1911. Die Fische der Aru- und Kei-Inseln. Ein Beitrag zur Zoogeographie dieser Inseln. Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 34: 1-49. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/49814.