Neosilurus hyrtlii Steindachner, 1867
Hyrtl's catfish
photo by Aland, G.

Family:  Plotosidae (Eeltail catfishes)
Max. size:  34 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; freshwater; pH range: 6.80000019073486 - 8; dH range: 30, potamodromous
Distribution:  Oceania: endemic to Australia.
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Found in clear, flowing streams, turbid rivers, lakes and stagnant pools. Also inhabits billabongs (Ref. 44894). Shoal forming species (Ref. 44894). Feeds on insects, crayfish, prawns, mollusks, worms and crustaceans (Ref. 44894). In northern populations, breeding occurs at the beginning of the wet season (January to March) in shallow sandy areas in the upper reaches of streams. The spawning habits of interior populations are unknown. Further research on the many geographic populations is required as there is a strong possibility that Hyrtl's Tandan may actually represent more than one species (Ref. 44894).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 13 February 2019 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:   
 


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.