Scortum barcoo
| Barcoo grunter | |
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| Species: | Scortum barcoo
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| Scortum barcoo (McCulloch & Waite, 1917)
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The Barcoo grunter or jade perch, Scortum barcoo, is a species of fish in the Terapontidae family, that is found in major rivers in Australia. Jade perch are currently bred for aquarium trade and for human consumption.
Characteristics
A jade perch is a heavily built fish with a small head. The fish usually has a brownish-black body with darker fins. One distinguishing fact about the fish is that the anal fin has eight rays. During its lifetime the fish can grow to be about 35 cm. [1] They feed on fishes, crustaceans, insects and molluscs,but they also feed on plants making them omnivorous. They are also thought to breed during floods. A jade perch is harmless to humans.[2]
Habitat
This fish lives within many freshwater sources throughout Australia, not just the Barcoo River.
See also
NOT FINAL: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/pubs/translocated-fish-overview.pdf