''Hephaestus carbo'', the coal grunter or black grunter, 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 hor ...

, a grunter from the

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

Terapontidae. 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 rivers in northern Australia.

Description

''Hephaestus carbo'' has a deep body which is oblong and oval in shape and also slightly compressed. The dorsal profile is straight from the snout to the nape, then there is a bugle between the head and the start of the

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 conv ...

. The ventral profile is evenly curved from the tip of the lower jaw to the anus. The upper jaw is slightly longer than the lower jaw and the mouth is oblique and equipped with villiform teeth with much larger teeth in the outer row. The

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...

is continuous and evenly curved. The dorsal fin is continuous, the spiny part is low and contains 11-13 spines and is arched in shape with the fifth to seventh spines being the longest although the longest dorsal spine is shorter than the longest dorsal soft ray, the soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin is rounded and contains 13-14 soft rays. All 3 anal spines are short, robust and curved with the first one being half as long as second soft anal rounded with the third being slightly shorter than the second. The anal fin soft rays are all longer than the spines and there are 11-12 of them. 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 se ...

is rounded to truncate. The head, body, and fins are a uniform blackish colour overall, with gold speckles over the head and body. The juveniles are more colourful than the adults and have bright yellow to orange markings with a reddish-orange ring around the eye. The maximum recorded

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

is .

Distribution

''Hephaestus carbo'' has only been recorded from northern Australia where it is found in the

Goyder River The Goyder River is a river in the Northern Territory, Australia. Description The headwaters of the river rise at the base of the Mitchell Ranges and are fed by spring discharge from an extensive dolomite aquifer that supports areas of rainf ...

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 ...

and the rivers which drain into the

Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria (, ) is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea (the body of water that lies between Australia and New Guinea). The northern boundary is ...

and the Timor Sea in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

from the Gregory River in the east to the

Jardine River The Jardine River is the largest river of the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia. Course The headwaters of the river rise southwest of Helby Hill in the Great Dividing Range and flow in a north westerly direction parallel ...

Habitat and biology

''Hephaestus carbo'' shows a preference for clear, flowing water over a sandy substrate, but it is recorded in turbid water with a muddy substrate at times. They prefer the upper reaches of coastal river drainage systems where the water temperatures is always in excess of . They are predatory and feed on small fishes and crustaceans, particularly prawns. Spawning is known to occur from November and it most likely continues until the early autumn in March. The males do not care for the eggs. These fish attain sexual maturity at a length of around .

Taxonomy

''Hephaestus carbo'' was first formally described in 1916 as ''Terapon carbo'' by the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

James Douglas Ogilby James Douglas Ogilby (16 February 1853 – 11 August 1925) was an Australian ichthyologist and herpetologist. Ogilby was born in Belfast, Ireland, and was the son of zoologist William Ogilby and his wife Adelaide, née Douglas. He received h ...

and

Allan Riverstone McCulloch Allan Riverstone McCulloch (20 June 1885 – 1 September 1925) was a prominent Australian ichthyologist. Born in Sydney, Australia, McCulloch began his scientific career at the age of 13 as an unpaid assistant to Edgar Ravenswood Waite in the ...

with the type locality given as the upper waters of the Gregory River in Queensland. The coal grunter is very similar to, and closely related to, Raymond's grunter (''Hephaestus raymondi'') of New Guinea.

Usage

The colourful juveniles are found in the aquarium trade.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5708492

carbo Carbo or accented Carbó may refer to Places * Carbó Municipality, a municipality in Sonora, Mexico ** Carbó, the municipal seat of Carbó Municipality, Sonora, Mexico * Enrique Carbó, Argentina, a village and municipality in Entre Ríos Provinc ...

Fish described in 1916 Fish of Australia