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Striped Gudgeon
Gobiomorphus australis (Krefft, 1864)
A Striped Gudgeon collected at Wheeler Creek, Sydney, New South Wales, March 2001. View larger image.
The Striped Gudgeon has a small mouth that extends posteriorly to a point level with the front margin of the eye. It has two dorsal fins, the soft-rayed second dorsal fin being slightly taller than the spiny dorsal fin.
The background colour of the Striped Gudgeon varies from brown to grey dorsally fading to cream or grey ventrally. It has five to seven dark stripes on the sides of the body, and a dark stripe running posteriorly from the eye.
The pectoral fin base is crossed by a white bar, and the upper pectoral fin base has a dark spot. The two dorsal fins and caudal fin have rows of brown spots.
The Striped Gudgeon grows to 225mm in length but is more commonly seen up to 120mm long. Adults feed on Eastern Gambusia and aquatic insects.
The breeding season for this species extends from late summer into autumn. During this time, the colouration of males intensifies.
The Striped Gudgeon is mostly found in slow-flowing, often muddy water. It is recorded from coastal streams of southern Queensland, New South Wales and eastern Victoria.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Australia. T.F.H. Publications. Pp. 240.
- Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & M. Allen. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 394.
- Larson, H.K. & D.F. Hoese in McDowall, R.M. 1996. Freshwater Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Reed Books. Pp. 247.
- Merrick, J.R. & G.E. Schmida. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes. Biology and Management. John R. Merrick. Pp. 409.
