Welch's grunter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Welch's grunter |
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Welch's grunter, also known as the black bream or silver bream, is a type of freshwater fish. It belongs to a group of fish called ray-finned fish. This fish is part of the Terapontidae family and is found only in Australia.
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What Does Welch's Grunter Look Like?
Welch's grunter has a long, oval-shaped body that is a bit flat on the sides. Its back and belly are smoothly curved. The top of its head is straight, then curves up to its back fin.
It has one long back fin with 12 sharp spines at the front. The spines get taller up to the middle, then shorter. After the spines, there are 11 or 12 soft rays. Its bottom fin has three spines and eight or nine soft rays. The tail fin is slightly notched.
The fish is usually yellowish or brownish. It is darker on its back. Each scale has a dark spot on its edge. Sometimes, these spots join together to make thin, horizontal lines. Its fins are a bit dark, except for the front fins, which are clear.
Welch's grunter can grow up to 40 centimetres (16 in) long. However, they are usually around 23 centimetres (9.1 in) long.
Where Do They Live?
Welch's grunter lives only in Australia. You can find them in some rivers and water systems in central Australia. These include the Barcoo River, Diamantina River, and Georgina River in Queensland. They also live in the Lake Eyre area in South Australia.
Habitat and Life Cycle
Welch's grunters prefer muddy water in slow-moving rivers and waterholes. They can live in water that is very salty or very hot.
This fish is a carnivore, meaning it eats other animals. It hunts smaller fish, as well as crustacea (like shrimp) and worms.
Reproduction
Welch's grunters lay their eggs in the summer. This happens when the rivers they live in flood. The fish swim upstream to lay their eggs. The eggs float in the water and hatch in about 30 hours. The male fish stays with the eggs, guarding them and fanning them.
They are ready to have babies when they are about 24–28 centimetres (9.4–11.0 in) long. A female fish that is 28 centimetres (11 in) long can lay up to 100,000 eggs!
Fishing for Welch's Grunter
Welch's grunter is one of the few good fish for angling (fishing with a rod and line) found in the dry, inland parts of Australia. Because of this, people sometimes try to catch them illegally. In Queensland, there are rules about how many fish you can catch. These are called "bag limits."
Naming the Fish
The scientific name Bidyanus welchi was first given to this fish in 1917. It was named by two scientists, Allan Riverstone McCulloch and Edgar Ravenswood Waite.
Later, in 1943, another scientist named Gilbert Percy Whitley created the genus name Bidyanus. This name comes from an Aboriginal word, bidyan, which means "fish." The second part of the name, welchi, honors an explorer named Edwin Welch (1838-1916).
