Bony bream ''Nematalosa erebi'' are a widespread and common, small to medium-sized Australian freshwater fish often found in large shoals throughout much of northern and central Australia, and the Murray-Darling basin.

Description

A deep bodied, laterally compressed fish with a blunt snout. Spineless

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

with the posterior ray developedinto a long filament. Usually silver overall, sometimes grey to greenish dorsally. In

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

it has been reported to develop a rusty red tinge especially around the mouth which is thought to be related to breeding. Some populations develop a dark blotch on the shoulder.

Distribution

Common and widespread throughout its

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

, found in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a g ...

Timor Sea The Timor Sea ( id, Laut Timor, pt, Mar de Timor, tet, Tasi Mane or ) is a relatively shallow sea bounded to the north by the island of Timor, to the east by the Arafura Sea, and to the south by Australia. The sea contains a number of reefs ...

, Gulf of Carpentaria, Northeast Coast, Murray-Darling (at elevations below 200 metres, 650 ft) Are present in Tinaroo Dam, elevation 660m, often referred to as "Barra lollies" because of a tendency for impoundment barramundi to round them up and

Lake Eyre Lake Eyre ( ), officially known as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, is an endorheic lake in east-central Far North South Australia, some north of Adelaide. The shallow lake is the depocentre of the vast endorheic Lake Eyre basin, and contains th ...

Australian drainage divisions. Tends to forms large shoals near the bottom.

Habitat

Variable, but mostly in shallow areas of slow flowing or still rivers and streams, especially in turbid conditions; desert bores; and, fresh or

saline lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salt (chemistry), salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of ...

s (up to almost sea water salinity). Can tolerate water temperatures between 9° and 38 °C and a pH between 4.8 and 8.6. Despite these wide tolerances, bony bream are susceptible to low oxygen levels and are often the first species to succumb when

ephemeral Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, fr ...

habitats begin to dry up.

Diet

Primarily feeds on benthic algae but also consumes detritus and small invertebrates.

References

External links

Bony Bream video on Youtube
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2209883 Freshwater fish of Australia Clupeidae Taxa named by Albert Günther Fish described in 1868