''Neosilurus hyrtlii'', commonly known as Hyrtl's catfish or Glencoe tandan, is a species of
catfish found across northern Australia, from the
Pilbara to southeastern Queensland.
Taxonomy
''Neosilurus hyrtlii'' has been given many
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
s, including common eel-tail catfish, Glencoe tandan, Hyrtl's tandan, inland catfish, moonfish, moony, Morton's tandan, mottled tandan, salmon catfish, silver moonfish, straight-backed catfish, white tandan, yellow fin tandan and yellow-finned catfish.
Austrian naturalist
Franz Steindachner
Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian Zoology, zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachne ...
described the species in 1867,
from the Fitzroy River in Queensland.
Description
This catfish is generally between in length, though larger fish to 30 cm long are not uncommon. Fish of up to have been recorded from the Alligator River. Female fish are a little larger than male fish.
The head is wide and mildly flattened with four pairs of
barbels. It has a sturdy dorsal spine, the inside edge of which is serrated. Large fish are dark brown or grey above fading to whitish below with dark brown to black (or rarely yellow) fins. The male and female have silver flanks and yellow fins during spawning.
Distribution and habitat
''Neosilurus hyrtlii'' is found across northern Australia, from the
Ashburton River in the
Pilbara in Western Australia, through the
Kimberley
Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to:
Places and historical events
Australia
* Kimberley (Western Australia)
** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley
* Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania
* Kimberley, Tasmania a small town
* County of Kimberley, a ...
, where it is found in most rivers, and across the Northern Territory and into the river systems that 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 ...
in Queensland. In inland Australia, it has been recorded from the
Diamantina
Diamantina may refer to:
Geography
Australia
* Diamantina Bowen (1833-1893), ''grande dame'' of Queensland and the wife of Sir George Bowen, the first Governor of Queensland.
* ''Diamantina Cocktail'', 1976 album by Little River Band
* Diam ...
,
Georgina,
Cooper
Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to:
* Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels
Arts and entertainment
* Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads
* Cooper (video game character), in ...
,
Bulloo and
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 ...
s. It is abundant in rivers on the western side of Cape York, though less common on the east coast. It is found down the east coast as far as the
Mary River in southeastern Queensland, as well as Fraser Island.
During the day, it keeps close to the river floor, generally at depths of around , and forages in shallow water to 30 cm deep at night.
It has been found in water as warm as at Cooper Creek.
Feeding
Like most catfish, ''N. hyrtlii'' is mainly benthic, that is, feeding on or in the river floor. Its prey is small considering its size, comprising small molluscs (both bivalves and gastropods), crustaceans, detritus, mayfly nymphs and caddisfly larvae and
midge
A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito Nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some mid ...
larvae.
Ecology
Natural predators of ''N. hyrtlii'' include the barramundi, fork-tailed catfish and tarpon.
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5594188
hyrtlii
Freshwater fish of Australia
Endemic fauna of Australia
Venomous fish
Fish described in 1867
Taxa named by Franz Steindachner