Darling River hardyhead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Darling River hardyhead |
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The Darling River hardyhead (Craterocephalus amniculus) is a type of fish found only in Australia. Its name, amniculus, comes from a Latin word meaning "small creek" or "stream." This is because these fish often live in such places.
Scientists think the Darling River hardyhead might be at risk of becoming endangered. This is because it lives in only a few places. However, more research is needed to confirm this.
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What Does It Look Like?
The Darling River hardyhead is a small fish. It has a thin, long body that is a bit flat on the sides. Its eyes are large and shiny silver. It has small lips with only a few teeth inside its mouth.
The fish's back is a dark gold color. Its belly is a shiny silver-gold. A dark, silvery stripe runs along its sides. These fish can grow up to about 5.5 centimeters (2.2 inches) long.
This fish has two small dorsal fins on its back. The second dorsal fin is right above its anal fin. Its tail fin is forked, like a V-shape. The pectoral fins are high up on its body.
The Darling River hardyhead has small scales that don't overlap much. It usually doesn't have scales on top of its head. Its mouth can stretch out, but it doesn't open very wide.
Where Do They Live?
The Darling River hardyhead lives in the northern part of the Murray-Darling Basin in Australia. This area is where the Darling River starts, near the border of Queensland and New South Wales.
You can find these fish in several rivers and creeks. These include the Condamine, Peel, Namoi, Macintyre, and Cockburn rivers. They also live in Boiling Down and Warialda Creeks.
They are not found everywhere in the Murray-Darling Basin. Other types of hardyheads seem to live in different areas. Where the Darling River hardyhead does live, it is usually quite common. In the Hunter River area, they live at different elevations, from 50 to 330 meters (164 to 1,083 feet).
How Do They Live?
The Darling River hardyhead prefers clear, shallow rivers and streams. They often hide among plants along the edges of the water. They can also live in faster-moving water, like where a deep pool drains.
We don't know much about their full life story. Young fish have been found in September. These fish can be seen alone or in groups of more than 50. In the Macintyre River, they seem to lay their eggs from September to February.
When it's time to lay eggs, they form pairs. The female fish lays her eggs among water plants. This usually happens in the middle of summer.
Darling River hardyheads eat both plants and animals. Most of their diet is algae and insect larvae. But they also eat small snails, tiny crustaceans, worms, and even other fish eggs.
Why Are They in Danger?
The Darling River hardyhead is facing threats. Their homes are being damaged by farming activities. This damage includes soil washing away and land being cleared. Trees and plants along the riverbanks are also being removed.
Livestock walking near rivers can cause the banks to erode. Managing floods and taking too much water from rivers also hurt their habitat.
Other fish that are not native to Australia also threaten them. These include mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), goldfish, common carp, and rainbow trout. Rainbow trout are often put into rivers by people.
Who Discovered Them?
For a long time, people thought the Darling River hardyhead was another species called Craterocephalus eyresii. But in 1990, two scientists, Lucy Crowley and Walter Ivantsoff, officially described it as a new species.
They found the first fish for their description in the Cockburn River, near Nemingha, New South Wales. Some similar hardyheads in the Hunter River area might also be this species. However, scientists are still studying them to be sure.
