Lepidogalaxias facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lepidogalaxias |
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The Lepidogalaxias salamandroides is a small and special fish found in Western Australia. It's often called the salamanderfish or Shannon mudminnow. This fish is the only type of fish in its family, Lepidogalaxiidae, and its genus, Lepidogalaxias.
Even though it's not a lungfish, it can do something similar: it can survive dry times by digging into the sand. This helps it live when its home pools dry up. The salamanderfish is currently listed as an Endangered species, meaning it's at risk of disappearing.
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What the Salamanderfish Looks Like
The salamanderfish is a small fish. Female salamanderfish can grow up to about 7 cm (about 2.7 inches) long.
This fish has a thin, long, and round body. Its top part is brownish-green, and its sides have silver spots and blotches. Its belly is very pale. The fins are clear, so you can see through them. The salamanderfish has reddish eyes that don't move, but the fish can move its neck in different directions!
Life Cycle and Habits
Salamanderfish lay their eggs in winter when water levels are highest. A female can lay between 100 and 400 eggs. Each egg is about 1.1 to 1.3 mm wide.
When the eggs hatch, tiny larvae come out. These larvae are about 5.5 mm long and eat food from the bottom of the water. The young fish grow quickly. They need to gain a lot of fat. This fat helps them survive the dry summer when their pools might dry up. Salamanderfish can live for up to 5 years.
The salamanderfish is a carnivore, which means it eats meat. It mainly feeds on the larvae of aquatic insects, which are young insects that live in water.
Where the Salamanderfish Lives
This special fish lives in a small area of southwest Australia. You can find it in acidic pools of water in heathland peat flats. This area is between the Blackwood and Kent Rivers, covering about 180 kilometers. They are quite common in the Northcliffe region.
Their homes are usually small pools and streams that don't always have water. These waters can have a lot of tannins (which make the water look tea-colored) and be quite acidic, with a pH between 3.0 and 6.5. The fish also experience big changes in water temperature, from 16 to 32 degrees Celsius in a single day! These pools are usually very shallow, less than 0.1 meters deep.
The salamanderfish often rests on the bottom of the water. It uses its long pelvic fins and rounded tail fin to do this. These small, shallow pools might have about 150 fish in them and are usually no bigger than 600 square meters. They often dry up completely in the dry seasons.
When the pools dry up, the salamanderfish can survive by digging into the sand. This process is called aestivation, which is like a summer sleep. It helps them wait for the water to return.
How the Salamanderfish Got Its Name
The salamanderfish was first described in 1961 by a scientist named Gerlof Fokko Mees. At first, he thought it was related to a group of fish called Galaxiidae. However, scientists later decided it was unique enough to be in its own family, Lepidogalaxiidae, and genus, Lepidogalaxias, in 1991.
This fish is part of the class Actinopterygii, which are ray-finned fish. Sometimes, it was also linked to the order Salmoniformes.
People sometimes call this fish by other names, like mud minnow, long-finned Galaxias, scaled galaxias, or dwarf pencilfish. However, "mud minnow" usually refers to a different fish called Galaxiella munda.
Other names for L. salamandroides include salamanderfish of Western Australia, West Australian salamanderfish, salamander fish, and Shannon mudminnow.
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2005). "Lepidogalaxias salamandroides" in FishBase. 10 2005 version.
See also
- In Spanish: Pezsalamandra para niños
