Find a Fish
Cox's Gudgeon
Gobiomorphus coxii (Krefft, 1864)
A Cox's Gudgeon at a depth of 5.5 m, Bellinger River near Thora (west of Bellingen), north-eastern New South Wales, February 2002. Photo © I. Shaw. View larger image.
Above and below: A 12.5 cm long Cox’s Gudgeon caught by G. Gowing and D. Kent at a depth of approximately 0.5 m, in a tributary of Toongabbie Creek, Sydney, New South Wales. The fish lived in an aquarium for 19 years. It is now registered in the Australian Museum Fish Collection (I.43966-001). Photo: A. Hay © Australian Museum. View larger image.
Cox's Gudgeon has a moderately elongate body and a slightly flattened head.
Live fish are brown, olive or purplish above, yellow to bluish on the sides and pale below. There are dark blotches on the upper sides and a dark stripe on the side of the body. The stripe is sometimes broken into blotches. Two brown bands extend from the rear of the eye. The two dorsal fins have dark stripes.
The species grows to 19 cm in length but is more commonly seen up to 15 cm.
Cox's Gudgeon occurs in coastal freshwaters from southern Queensland to southern Victoria. It is found inland up to about 700 m altitude.
Juveniles are often found at lower altitudes. It is believed that they are initially washed downstream and over spring and summer complete an upstream migration . They are able to climb waterfalls by rotating their pectoral fins so that the inside surfaces of the fins are pressed against the wall creating suction.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Related links
- Striped Gudgeon fact sheet
- View the family Eleotridae list
- View the Gudgeons list
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.
