The Finke River hardyhead (''Craterocephalus centralis'') is a species of

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

in the family Atherinidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Finke River The Finke River, or ''Larapinta'' (Arrernte), is a river in central Australia, one of four main rivers of the Lake Eyre Basin and thought to be the oldest riverbed in the world. It flows for only a few days a year and when this happens, its wate ...

system in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

, where it is widespread in open water or around aquatic vegetation. They occur in a wide range of salinity and pH and in Summer seek refuge in semi-permanent water holes. They are omnivores and feed on small crustaceans, insects, gastropods, polychaete worms, algae and fish eggs. This species shows a wide tolerance to temperature and salinity and is omnivore, probably spawning during warmer months. It was previously mis-identified as ''

Craterocephalus eyresii ''Craterocephalus eyresii'', the Lake Eyre hardyhead, is a species of freshwater silverside from the family Atherinidae which is endemic to the Lake Eyre basin in Australia. Description ''Craterocephalus eyresii'' is a small drab yellowish-grey ...

''.

References

Finke River hardyhead Freshwater fish of the Northern Territory Finke River hardyhead Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Atheriniformes-stub