Greenway's grunter (''Hannia greenwayi'') is a species of freshwater

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

, a grunter from the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Terapontidae Grunters or tigerperches are ray-finned fishes in the family Terapontidae (also spelled Teraponidae, Theraponidae or Therapontidae). This family is part of the superfamily Percoidea of the order Perciformes. Characteristics The Terapontidae i ...

. 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 else ...

to the northern part of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

Description

Greenway's grunter is a small, slender golden to silvery-grey grunter which is covered in large scales, each with a dark margin and a dark blotch on the lower part of the

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

. The juveniles have a dark spot at base of the soft-rayed part of the

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal c ...

and anal fin bases. The larger adult fish may develop thick, fleshy, lips and when caught individuals may show broad, vertical bars. This species has a maximum standard length of , although is a more common standard length.

Distribution

Greenway's grunter is endemic to the Kimberley region of

where it occurs in the Fitzroy River system and Isdell and Calder rivers.

Habitat and biology

The adults of Greenway's grunter are found in moderately to swiftly flowing streams in both clear and turbid water where there is a mixed substrate of sand and rock. Its biology is little known, but in 1969 a collection of 100 specimens of this fish suggested that are found in fast flowing rapids where the water was green in colour and the visibility was as low as . It is an omnivorous species feeding on algae and small invertebrates. The eggs are guarded and fanned by the male parent. It is though likely that this species

spawns Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquat ...

in the wet season.

Taxonomy and etymology

Greenway's grunter was first formally described in 1971 by Richard P. Vari with the type locality given as the Hann River at Moll Gorge in Western Australia. The generic name refers to the type locality while the specific name honours the American ornithologist James C. Greenway for his generous support of the American Museum of Natural History's Australian expedition on which the type was collected.

References

''Hannia greenwayi''.
Atlas of Living Australia. {{Taxonbar, from=Q5649144 Greenway's grunter Kimberley (Western Australia) Freshwater fish of Western Australia Endemic fauna of Australia Greenway's grunter Taxonomy articles created by Polbot