Blackbanded Gudgeon, Oxyeleotris selheimi (Macleay 1884)

Other Names: Black Banded Guavina, Black-banded Gudgeon, Giant Gudgeon, Sleeper, Sleeper Gudgeon, Sleepy Cod

Summary:

A large dark brown gudgeon, paler below, with narrow dark stripes along sides, and small dark spots forming transverse bands on dorsal, anal and pelvic fins.

Cite this page as:

Gomon, M.F. & Bray, D.J. 2025, Oxyeleotris selheimi in Fishes of Australia, accessed 22 Jul 2026, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4156

Blackbanded Gudgeon, Oxyeleotris selheimi (Macleay 1884)

More Info

Distribution	Widespread and common in northern Australia, from the Fitzroy River in The Kimberley, Western Australia, to the Endeavour River, Cape York, Queensland. The species is also known from Papua New Guinea. Inhabits freshwater rivers, creeks and billabongs, preferring slow flowing water amongst aquatic vegetation, woody debris or undercut banks.
Features	Dorsal fin VI + I, 9; Anal fin I, 8-9; Pectoral fin 17-19; Gill rakers (lower limb) 6-7. Body elongate, cylindrical, 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; Eye diameter 4.5-6.0 in head length; interorbital 1-2 eye diameters. Lower jaw protruding, mouth oblique, reaching to below 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; anterior nostril long in tube, posterior nostril short and not tube-like; nostrils and adjacent pores surrounded by an indistinct patch of papillae. 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; vertical scale rows 62-69; horizontal scale rows 19-20; predorsal scale rows 40-48. Two dorsal fins, the first dorsal fin much lower than body depth; height of second dorsal about 0.67 body depth; caudal fin rounded, slightly pointed; Pectoral fin rounded, as long as head without snout; Pelvic fins separate, slightly shorter than pectorals.
Size	Maximum size around 55 cm SL, commonly to 30 cm.
Colour	Dark brown dorsally, lighter ventrally with narrow dark stripes on sides; median fins and pelvic fins with small dark spots forming transverse bands.
Feeding	A nocturnally active carnivore that feeds on fishes, crustaceans and aquatic insects.
Biology	Oviparous, benthic spawners between October and February. Females produce 35,000 to 170,000 eggs over multiple spawnings within a season, depositing them onto a hard substrate. The eggs are guarded and fanned by the male parent until the larvae hatch in 3-7 days, depending on water temperature. The eggs are fusiform, 2-2.5 mm long X 1 mm wide.
Fisheries	A popular angling species, also found in artisinal fisheries throughout its range.
Similar Species	Differs from the similar Sleepy Cod, Oxyeleotris lineolata, in having spotted anal, pelvic, and pectoral fins.
Etymology	Named in honour of Mr. Selheim, who collected the type specimen.
Species Citation	Eleotris selheimi Macleay 1884, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. (1)9(1): 33. Type locality: Palmer River, north Queensland (nom. nov. for Eleotris planiceps Macleay, 1882).
Author	Gomon, M.F. & Bray, D.J. 2025
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Blackbanded Gudgeon, Oxyeleotris selheimi (Macleay 1884)

References

Allen, G.R. 1982. Inland Fishes of Western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 86 pp. 6 figs 20 pls (as Oxyeleotris lineolatus).

Allen, G.R. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Neptune, New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 240 pp. pls 1–63 (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. Osborne Park, Western Australia : Quality Press, i-vii + 1-213 + pls.

Blaber, S.J.M., Salini, J.P. & Brewer, D.T. 1990. A checklist of the fishes of Albatross Bay and the Embley estuary, north-eastern Gulf of Carpentaria. CSIRO Marine Laboratory. Report 210: 1-22 (as Oxyeleotris sp.)

Brooks, S. & Kerezsy, A. 2019. Oxyeleotris selheimi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T122913966A123382401. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T122913966A123382401.en. Accessed on 03 September 2025.

Close, P.G., Dobbs, R.J., Tunbridge, D.J., Speldewinde, P.C., et al. 2014. Customary and recreational fishing pressure: large-bodied fish assemblages in a tropical, intermittent Australian river. Marine and Freshwater Research 65: 466-474.

Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Co-ordinator-General Department 3rd Edn 640 pp. (as Oxyeleotris lineolatus, in part).

Huey, J.A., Cook, B.D., Unmack, P.J., & Hughes. J.M. 2014. Broadscale phylogeographic structure of five freshwater fishes across the Australian monsoonal tropics. Freshwater Science 33(1): 273–287

Larson, H.K. & Martin, K.C. 1990. Freshwater Fishes of the Northern Territory. Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences Handbook Series Number 1. Darwin : Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences 102 pp. 73 figs (as Oxyeleotris sp.).

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.

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

Macleay, W.J. 1884. Supplement to the descriptive catalogue of the fishes of Australia. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1 9(1): 2-64. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/29922

Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes Biology and Management. Sydney : J.R. Merrick 409 pp. figs 280 col. figs (as Oxyeleotris lineolatus).

Morgan, D.L., Allen, G.R., Pusey, B.J. & Burrows, D.W. 2011. A review of the freshwater fishes of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Zootaxa 2816: 1-64

Morgan, D.L., Allen, M.G., Bedford, P. & Horstman, M. 2004. Fish fauna of the Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia -- including the Bunuba, Gooniyandi, Ngarinyin, Nyikina and Walmajarri Aboriginal names. Records of the Western Australian Museum 22(2): 147-161.

Pusey, B., Kennard, M. & Arthington, A. 2004. Freshwater Fishes of North-Eastern Australia. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood Australia. 684 pp.

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.

Shelley, J.J. & Le Feuvre, M.C. 2018. Family Eleotridae. pp. 174-203 in Shelley, J.J., Morgan, D.L., Hammer, M.P., Le Feuvre, M.C., Moore, G.I., Gomon, M.F., Allen, M.G. & Saunders, T. A Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of the Kimberley. Murdoch, Western Australia : Murdoch University 262 pp.