Philypnodon
| Philypnodon | ||||||||||||
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Philypnodon grandiceps |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Philypnodon | ||||||||||||
| Bleeker , 1874 |
In the genus Philypnodon there are two freshwater gobies from the family of sleeper gobies . The genus is endemic to southeast Australia . The generic name goes back to the ancient Greek terms phyleo (to like something), ypnos (excrement) and odous (teeth).
features
The sleeper gobies of the genus Philypnodon are between four and twelve centimeters long. The bodies are variably colored in black, brown, red-brown, green-brown or gray tones. The fins are largely transparent, the caudal and dorsal fins alternate with black and orange stripes. Males and females show a pronounced sexual dimorphism . In addition, the morphological range of variation within the species is high over their respective range.
The two species of the genus Philypnodon differ (as well as the representatives of the genera Mogurnda and Gobiomorphus ) from the other species of sleeper goby by inconsistent nerve connections and missing bone ray carriers (pterygiophores) between the two dorsal fins .
Occurrence and habitat
The fish of the genus occur in still waters or weakly flowing waters in fresh and brackish water on the east coast of Australia, in the Murray Darling Basin , on the Kangaroo Island and occasionally on Tasmania's north coast.
Habitats are natural or man-made lakes or lagoons over muddy or stony ground, often near aquatic plants or dead wood. Both types occur largely sympatric .
The adult gobies carnivorously feed on small fish, crustaceans , insects and tadpoles.
The spawning season is usually in the Australian spring or summer. The males turn darker and show more colored fins. Like all sleeper gobies, the female lays a clump of spawn on a hard substrate, the clutch is guarded by the male until it hatches after four to six days and fanned with its pectoral fins.
Systematics
The genus Philypnodon was by Pieter Bleeker based on Eleotris nudiceps Castelnau, 1872 ( synonym for Philypnodon grandiceps ) as generic typus erected. It comprises two scientifically described types:
- Philypnodon grandiceps (Krefft, 1864) ( Flathead Gudgeon ) with mostly 8 cm body length
- Philypnodon macrostomus Hoese & Reader, 2006 ( Dwarf Flathead Gudgeon ) with mostly 4 cm body length
Based on genetic studies of fish from the Lang Lang River near Lang Lang in the Australian state of Victoria, a third species, closely related to Philypnodon macrostomus , is suspected.
literature
- G. Allen, S. Midgley, M. Allen: Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia . 2nd Edition. Western Australian Museum, Perth 2003, ISBN 0-7307-5486-3 .
- C. Thacker, P. Unmack, L. Matsui, P. Duong, E. Huang: Phylogeography of Philypnodon species (Teleostei: Eleotridae) across south-eastern Australia: testing patterns of connectivity across drainage divides and among coastal rivers . In: Biological Journal of the Linnean Society of London . tape 95 , 2008, p. 175-192 .
Web links
- Philypnodon on Fishbase.org (English)