Abstract
Northern Australia is biologically diverse and of national and global conservation signicance. Its ancient landscape contains the world’s largest area of savannah ecosystem in good ecological condition and its rivers are largely free-flowing. Agriculture, previously confined largely to open range-land grazing, is set to expand in extent and to focus much more on irrigated cropping and horticulture. Demands on the water resources of the region are thus, inevitably increasing. Reliable information is required to guide and inform development and help plan for a sustainable future for the region which includes healthy rivers that contain diverse fish assemblages. Based on a range of information sources, including the outcomes of recent and extensive new field surveys, this study maps the distribution of the 111 freshwater fishes (excluding elasmobranches) and 42 estuarine vagrants recorded from freshwater habitats of the region. We classify the habitat use and migratory biology of each species. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the diversity and distribution of fishes of the region within a standardised nomenclatural framework. In addition, we summarise the outcomes of recent phylogeographic and phylogenetic research using molecular technologies to identify where issues of taxonomy may need further scrutiny. The study provides an informed basis for further research on the spatial arrangement of biodiversity and its relationship to environmental factors (e.g. hydrology), conservation planning and phylogentic variation within individual taxa.
References
Adams, M., Page, T.J., Hurwood, D.A. & Hughes, J.M. (2013) A molecular assessment of species boundaries and phylogenetic affinities in Mogurnda (Eleotridae): a case study of cryptic biodiversity in the Australian freshwater fishes. Marine and Freshwater Research, 64, 920–913.
https://doi.org/10.1071/mf12237Allen G.R. (1991) Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of New Guinea. Christensen Research Institute, Madang, 268 pp.
Allen, G.R. & Hoese, D.F. (1980) A collection of fishes from the Jardine River, Cape York Peninsula, Australia. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 632, 53–61.
Allen, G.R. & Burgess, W.E. (1990) A review of the glassfishes (Chandidae) of Australia and New Guinea. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement, 34, 139–206.
https://doi.org/10.3853/j.0067-1975.34.1982.242
Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. (2003) Field guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Western Australian Museum, Perth, 394 pp.
Allen, G.R., Cross, N.J., Bray, D.J. & Hoese, D.F. (2006) Ambassidae. Chanda perches, glassfishes, perchlets. In: Beasley, O.L. & Wells, A. (Eds.), Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 35. Part 2 (3). ABRS & CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp. 969–974.
Australian Society for Fish Biology (2010) Conservation status of Australian fishes—2010. Australian Society for Fish Biology Newsletter, 40, 79–82.
Australian Tropical Rivers Group (ATRG) (2004) Securing the North: Australia’s Tropical Rivers. A Statement by the Australian Tropical Rivers Group. WWF Australia, Sydney, 4 pp.
Armstrong, N. (1985) A wilderness of rivers. Fishes of Sahul, 2, 85–90.
Barlow, C., Rodgers, L. & Marnock, T. (1987) Fish of the Annan River. Annan River Weir—fisheries Considerations. Unpublished Report, Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Walkamin, 23 pp.
Berghuis, A. P. & Storey, A.W. (2006) Fish assemblages of the Ord River prior to the restoration of migratory pathways. Report to Western Australian Department of Fisheries, unpublished report. 45 pp.
Betancur-R., R. (2009) Molecular phylogenetics and evolutionary history of ariid catfishes revisited: a comprehensive sampling. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 9, 175.
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-9-175Betancur-R., R., Acero, P. A., Bermingham, E. & Cooke, R. (2007) Systematics and biogeography of New World sea catfishes (Siluriformes: Ariidae) as inferred from mitochondrial, nuclear, and morphological evidence. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 45, 339–357.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2007.02.022Bishop, K.A., Pidgeon, R.W.J. & Walden, D.J. (1995) Studies on fish movement dynamics in a tropical floodplain river: prerequisites for a procedure to monitor the impacts of mining. Australian Journal of Ecology, 20, 81–107.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.1995.tb00524.xBishop, K.A., Allen, S.A., Pollard, D.A. & Cook, M.G. (2001) Ecological studies on the freshwater fishes of the Alligator Rivers Region, Northern Territory: autecology. Report 145. Supervising Scientist, Darwin, 570 pp.
https://doi.org/10.2307/1446015Blaber, S.J.M., Brewer, D.T. & Salini, J.P. (1989) Species composition and biomasses of fishes in different habitats of a tropical northern Australian estuary: their occurrence in the adjoining sea and estuarine dependence. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 29, 509–531.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-7714(89)90008-5
Burrows, D.W. (2004) Translocated Fishes in Streams of the Wet Tropics Region, north Queensland: Distribution and Potential Impact. CRC for Rainforest Ecology and Management, Cairns, 83 pp.
Burrows, D.W. (2010) Wetland Assessment of Boigu Island, Torres Strait. Report No. 10/06 Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research. James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 45 pp.
Burrows, D.W. & Perna, C. (2006) A Survey of Freshwater Fish and Fish Habitats of the Norman River, Gulf of Carpentaria. Report No. 06/31 Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research. James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 39 pp.
Burrows, D.W. & Perna, C. (2008) The Distribution of Lake Grunter (Variichthys lacustris) in North Queensland. Report No. 08/26 Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research. James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 12 pp.
Burrows, D.W. & Perna, C. (2009) A Survey for Exotic Freshwater Fish on Saibai Island and Thursday Island, Torres Strait. Report No. 09/01 Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research. James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 27 pp.
Cattarino, L., Hermoso, V., Carwardine, J., Kennard, M.J. & Linke, S. (2015) Multi-action planning for threat management: a novel approach for the spatial prioritization of conservation actions. . PLoS ONE, 10, e0128027.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0128027Cattarino, L., Hermoso, V., Carwardine, J., Wilson, K.A., Kennard, M.J. & Linke, S. (2016) Accounting for species’ responses and management effort enhances cost-effectiveness of conservation decisions. Biological Conservation, 197, 116–123.
Cook, B.D. & Hughes, J.M. (2010) Historical population connectivity and fragmentation in a tropical freshwater fish with a disjunct distribution (pennyfish, Denariusa bandata). Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 29, 1119–1131.
https://doi.org/10.1899/09-087.1Cook, B.D., Kennard, M.J., Real, K., Pusey, B.J. & Hughes, J.M. (2011) Landscape genetic analysis of the tropical freshwater fish Mogurnda mogurnda (Eleotridae) in a monsoonal river basin: importance of hydrographic factors and population history. Freshwater Biology, 56, 812–817.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2010.02527.x
Cook, B.D., Adams, M., Mather,P.B. & Hughes, J.M. (2012) Statistical phylogeographic tests of competing ‘Lake Carpentaria hypotheses’ in the mouth-brooding freshwater fish, Glossamia aprion (Apogonidae). Marine and Freshwater Research, 63, 450–456.
https://doi.org/10.1071/mf11222
Cook, B.D., Unmack, P.J., Huey, J.A. &Hughes, J.M. (2014) Did common disjunct populations of freshwater fishes in northern Australia form from the same biogeographic events? Freshwater Science, 33, 263–272.
Corbett, L., Batterham, R., Sewell, S., Welch, M., Richards, G. & Larson, H. (2002) The Angalarri grunter, Scortum neili Allen, Larson and Midgely (Teleostei: Terapontidae): description of adults and their habitat. The Beagle: Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, 18, 57–62.
Crowley, L.E.L.M. & Ivantsoff, W. (1988) A new species of Australian Craterocephalus (Pisces: Atherinidae) and redescription of four other species. Records of the Western Australian Museum, 14, 151–169.
https://doi.org/10.3853/j.0067-1975.55.2003.1381Cresswell, I., Petheram, C., Harrington, I., Buetlikofer, H., Hodgen, M., Davies, P. & Li, L. (2009) Chapter 1—Water Resources of northern Australia. In: Stone, P. (Ed.), Northern Australia Land and Water Science Review. Final report to the Northern Australia Land and Water Taskforce. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, 188 pp.
Cyrus, B.P. & Blaber, S.J.M. (1992) Turbidity and salinity in a tropical Australian estuary and their influence on fish distribution. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 35, 545–563.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0272-7714(05)80038-1
Dames and Moore (1992) McArthur River Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Mt. Isa Mines Ltd., Brisbane, 68 pp.
Davis, A.M., Unmack, P.J., Pusey, B.J., Johnson, J.B. & Pearson, R.G. (2012) Marine–freshwater transitions are associated with the evolution of dietary diversification in terapontid grunters (Teleostei: Terapontidae). Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 25, 1163–1179.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02504.xDobbs, R.J., Davies, C.L., Walker, M.L., Pettit, N.E., Pusey, B.J., Close, P.G. & Cox, P. (2016) Collaborative research partnerships inform monitoring and management of aquatic ecosystems by Indigenous rangers. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 26, 711–725.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-015-9401-2
Desoutter, M., Munroe, T.A. & Chapleau, F. (2001) Nomenclatural status of Brachirus Swainson, Synaptura Cantor and Euryglossa Kaup (Soleidae, Pleuronectiformes). Ichthyological Research, 48, 425–327.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-001-8154-1Douglas, M., Jackson, S., Pusey, B. Kennard, M. & Burrows, D. (2011) Northern futures: threats and opportunities for freshwater ecosystems. Chapter 13. In: Pusey, B.J. (Ed.), Aquatic biodiversity of the Wet-Dry Topics of Northern Australia: Patterns, Threats and Future. Charles Darwin University Press, Darwin, pp. 203–220.
Durand, J.-D., Shen, K.-N., Chen, W.-J., Jamandre, B.-W., Blel, H., Diop, K., Nirchio, M.,Garcia de León, F.J., Whitfield, A.K., Chang, C.-W. & Borsa, P. (2012a) Systematics of the grey mullets (Teleostei: Mugiliformes: Mugilidae): molecular phylogenetic evidence challenges two centuries of morphology-based taxonomy. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 64, 73–92.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2012.03.006Durand, J.-D., Chen, W.-J,. Shen, K.-N., Fu, C. & Borsa, P. (2012b) Genus-level taxonomic changes implied by the mitochondrial phylogeny of grey mullets (Teleostei: Mugilidae). Comptes Rendus Biologies, 335, 687–697.
Faulks, L.K., Gilligan, D.M. & Beheregaray, L.B. (2008) Phylogeography of a threatened freshwater fish (Mogurnda adspersa) in eastern Australia: conservation implications. Marine and Freshwater Research, 59, 89–96.
https://doi.org/10.1071/mf07167Ferraris, C.J. (2007) Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary type. Zootaxa, 1418, 1–628.
Gon, O. & Herzig-Straschil, B. (1996) Taxonomic status of Steindachner’s Apogon australis and Apogonichthys gillii (Teleostei: Apogonidae). Copeia, 1996, 1029–1031.
https://doi.org/10.2307/1447671Godfrey, P.C. (2011) Recruitment ecology of freshwater fish of Australia’s Wet Tropics region. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis. Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, 200 pp.
Griffiths, A. D. (1997) Biological Survey of Elsey National Park. Technical Report No.63. Parks and Wildlife Commission, NT, Palmerston, 38 pp.
Hammer, M.P., Goodman, T.S., Adams, M., Faulks, L.F., Unmack, P.J., Whiterod, N.S. & Walker, K.F. (2015) Regional extinction, rediscovery and rescue of a freshwater fish from a highly modified environment: The need for rapid response. Biological Conservation, 192, 91–100.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2015.08.041
Hansen, B. (2000) “Starke” raving mad. Fishes of Sahul, 14, 699–708.
Herbert, B.W., Peeters, J.A., Graham, P.A. & Hogan, A.E. (1995) Freshwater Fish and Aquatic Habitat Survey of Cape York Peninsula. Report to Department of Primary Industries, Cape York Peninsula Land Use Survey, 376 pp.
Hermoso, V., Kennard, M., Pusey, B. & Douglas, M. (2011) Identifying priority areas for the conservation of freshwater biodiversity. In: Pusey, B.J. (Ed.), Aquatic biodiversity in Northern Australia: patterns, threats and future. Charles Darwin University Press, Darwin, pp. 133–149.
Hermoso, V., Kennard, M.J. & Linke, S. (2012) Integrating multi-directional connectivity requirements in systematic conservation planning for freshwater systems. Diversity and Distributions, 18, 448–458.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4642.2011.00879.xHermoso, V., Cattarino, L., Kennard, M.J., Watts, M. & Linke, S. (2015) Catchment zoning for freshwater conservation: refining plans to enhance action on the ground. Journal of Applied Ecology, 52, 940–949.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12454Hoese, D.F. & Allen, G.R. (2009) Description of three new species of Glossogobius from Australia and New Guinea. Zootaxa, 1981, 1–14.
Hogan, A.E. & Vallance, T.D. (2002) Mareeba Dimbulah Irrigation Area Balancing Storages Fish Survey. Unpublished Report to Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane, 28 pp.
Hogan, A. & Vallance, T. (2003) Mareeba-Dimbulah Irrigation Area: West Barron and Walsh Bluff Main Channels Fish Distribution and Abundance. Unpublished Report to Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane, 35 pp.
Hogan, A. & Vallance, T. (2005) Rapid Assessment of Fish Biodiversity in Southern Gulf of Carpentaria Catchments. Report to Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Brisbane, 56 pp.
Huey, J.A., Cook, B.D., Unmack, P.J. & Hughes, J.M. (2014) Broadscale phylogeographic structure of five freshwater fishes across the Australian monsoonal tropics. Freshwater Science, 33, 273–287.
https://doi.org/10.1086/674984
Hughes, J.M. & Hillyer, M.J. (2006) Mitochondrial DNA and allozymes reveal high dispersal abilities and historical movement across drainage boundaries in two species of freshwater fishes from inland rivers in Queensland, Australia. Journal of Fish Biology, 68, 270–291.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-1112.2006.01073.xHughes, J.M., Real, K.M., Marshall, J.C. & Schmidt, D.J. (2012) Extreme genetic structure in a small-bodied freshwater fish, the purple spotted gudgeon, Mogurnda adspersa (Eleotridae). PLoS ONE, 7 (7), e40546.
Hurwood, D.A. & Hughes, J.M. (1998) Phylogeography of the freshwater fish, Mogurnda adspersa, in streams of northeastern Queensland, Australia: evidence for altered drainage patterns. Molecular Ecology, 7, 1507–1517.
https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-294x.1998.00469.xHutchison, M., Simpson, R., Elizur, A., Willett, D. & Collins, A. (2002) Restoring jungle perch (Kuhlia rupestris) recreational fisheries to South-east Queensland. A pilot study. Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane 10 pp.
Jardine, T.D., Pusey, B.J., Hamilton, S.K., Pettit, N.E., Davies, P.M. Douglas, M.M., Sinnamon, V., Halliday, I.A. & Bunn, S.E. (2011) Fish mediate high foodweb connectivity in the lower reaches of a tropical floodplain river. Oecologia, 168, 829–838.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-2148-0
Jardine, T., Bond, N., Burford, M., Kennard, M., Ward, D., Bayliss, P., Davies, P., Douglas, M., Hamilton, S., Melack, J., Naiman, R., Pettit, N., Pusey, B., Warfe, D. & Bunn, S. (2015) Flood rhythm and ecosystem responses in tropical riverscapes, Ecology, 96, 684–692.
Kailola, P.J. (2000) Six new species of fork-tailed catfishes (Pisces, Teleostei, Ariidae) from Australia and New Guinea. The Beagle: Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, 16, 127–144.
Kailola, P.J. (2004) A phylogenetic exploration of the catfish family Ariidae (Otophysi; Siluriformes). The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, 20, 87–166.
Kailola, P. & Pierce, B.E. (1988) A new freshwater catfish (Pisces: Ariidae) from northern Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, 14, 73–89.
Keith, P., Lord, C. & Larson, H.K. (2017) Review of the Schismatogobius (Gobiidae) from Papua New Guinea to Samoa, with description of seven new species. Cybium, 41, 54-66.
Kennard, M. J. (1995) Factors Influencing Freshwater Fish Assemblages in Floodplain Lagoons of the Normanby River, Cape York Peninsula: a Large Tropical Australian River. Unpublished Master of Philosophy Thesis, Environmental Sciences, Griffith University, Brisbane, 225 pp.
Kennard, M.J. (ed) (2010) Identifying high conservation value aquatic ecosystems in northern Australia. Interim Report for the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and the National Water Commission. Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK) Commonwealth Environmental Research Facility, Charles Darwin University, Darwin. Available from: http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/gov/20130904200442/http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/policy-programs/nawfa-hcvae-trial-report.html (accessed 6 September 2016)
Kennard, M.J., Pusey, B.J., Olden, J.D., Mackay, S.J., Stein, J.L. & Marsh, N. (2010) Classification of natural flow regimes in Australia to support environmental flow management. Freshwater Biology, 55, 171–193.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2009.02307.xKennard, M.J., Pusey, B.J., Allsop, Q., Perna, C., Burrows, D. & Douglas, M.M. (2011) Field Manual—Including protocols for quantitative sampling of fish assemblages, habitat, water quality and sample preservation. Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge, Charles Darwin University. Available from: http://www.track.org.au/publications/registry/track973 (accessed 12 January 2016)
Kottelat, M. (2001) Scatophagidae. Scats. In: Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V. (Eds.), FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Vol. 6. Bony fishes part 4 (Labridae to Latimeriidae), estuarine crocodiles. FAO, Rome, pp. 3623–3626.
Larson, H.K. (2007) A new species of carp gudgeon, ‘Hypseleotris’ (Pisces: Gobioidei: Eleotridae), from the Katherine River system, Northern Territory. The Beagle: Records of the Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, 23, 111–117.
Larson, H.K. (2010) A review of the gobiid fish genus Redigobius (Teleostei: Gobionellinae), with descriptions of two new species. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 21, 123–191.
Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P (2013) An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa, 3696 (1), 1–293.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3696.1.1
Leggett, R. (1987) Freshwater fish of the Cape York area. Queensland Naturalist, 28, 13–18.
Lintermans, M. (2007) Fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin: An Introductory Guide. Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Canberra, 157 pp.
Linke, S., Kennard, M.J., Hermoso, V., Olden, J.D., Stein, J. & Pusey, B.J. (2012) Merging connectivity rules and large-scale condition assessment improves conservation adequacy in river systems. Journal of Applied Ecology, 49, 1036–1045.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02177.xLovejoy, N.R., Iranpour, R.M. & Collette, B.B. (2004) Phylogeny and jaw ontogeny of the beloniform fishes. Integrated and Comparative Biology, 44, 366–377.
McDonald, N.S. & McAlpine, J.M. (1991) Floods and droughts: the northern climate. In Haynes, C.D., Ridpath, M.G. & Williams, M.A.J. (Eds.) Monsoonal Australia—Landscape, Ecology and Man in the Northern Lowlands. Blakema Publishers, Rotterdam, pp 19–30.
Marceniuk, A.P. & Menezes, N.A. (2007) Systematics of the family Ariidae (Ostariophysi: Siluriformes), with a redefinition of the genera. Zootaxa, 1416 (1), 1–126.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1416.1.1
Marceniuk, A.P., Menezes, N.A. & Britto, M.R. (2012) Phylogenetic analysis of the family Ariidae (Ostariophysi: Siluriformes), with a hypothesis on the monophyly and relationships of the genera. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 165, 534–669.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00822.xMartin, K.C. & Barclay, S. (2015) Distribution and status of Banded Rainbowfish Melanotaenia trifasciata (Melanotaeniidae) populations in north-eastern Queensland. Aqua, 21, 54–65.
Masci, K.D., Ponniah, M. & Hughes, J.M. (2008) Patterns of connectivity between the Lake Eyre and Gulf drainages, Australia: a phylogeographic approach. Marine and Freshwater Research, 59, 751–760.
https://doi.org/10.1071/mf07178McGuigan, K., Zhu, D., Allen, G.R. & Moritz, C. (2000) Phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeography of melanotaeniid fishes in Australia and New Guinea. Marine and Freshwater Research, 51, 713–723.
Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. (1984) Australian Freshwater Fishes: Biology and Management. Griffin Press Ltd., Netley, South Australia, 364 pp.
Midgley, S.H. (1973) Alligator Rivers Region Environmental Fact Finding Study. Report to the Department of the Northern Territory, 18 pp.
Midgley, S.H. (1975) McArthur River Fish Survey. Report to Gunn Rural Management. Mt. Isa Mines Ltd., 21 pp.
Midgley, S.H. (1979) The Roper River System, Limmen Bight River System and Rosie Creek System. Report to The Fisheries Division. Department of Primary Production, 28 pp.
Morgan, D.L. & Gill, H.S. (2004) Fish fauna in inland waters of the Pilbara (Indian Ocean) Drainage Division of Western Australia—evidence for three subprovinces. Zootaxa, 636 (1), 1–43.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.636.1.1
Morgan, D.L., Allen, M.G., Bedford, P. & Horstman, M. (2004) Fish fauna of the Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia—including the Bunuba, Gooniyandi, Ngarinyin, Nyikina and Walmajarri Aboriginal names. Records of the Western Australian Museum, 22, 147–161.
https://doi.org/10.18195/issn.0312-3162.22(2).2004.147-161Morgan, D., Allen, G., Pusey, B. & Burrows, D. (2011) Freshwater fishes of the Kimberley region, north-western Australia. Zootaxa, 2816, 1–64.
NLWRA (2002) National Land and Water Resources Audit. Catchment, river and estuary condition. Natural Heritage Trust, Canberra, 19 pp.
Olden, J., Kennard, M. & Pusey, B. (2008) Species invasions and the changing biogeography of Australian freshwater fishes. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 17, 25–37.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-8238.2007.00340.x
Postel, S. & Richter, B. (2012) Rivers for life: managing water for people and nature. Island Press, Washington, 253 pp.
Pusey, B.J. & Kennard, M.J. (1996) Species richness and geographical variation in assemblage structure of the freshwater fish fauna of the Wet Tropics region of northern Queensland. Marine and Freshwater Research, 47, 563–573.
https://doi.org/10.1071/mf9960563Pusey, B.J., Arthington, A.H. & Read, M.G. (1998) Freshwater fishes of the Burdekin River, Australia: bigeography, history and spatial variation in community structure. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 53, 303–318.
Pusey, B.J. & Kennard, M.J. (2009) Aquatic ecosystems of northern Australia. In: Stone, P. (Ed.), Northern Australia Land and Water Science Review. Final report to the Northern Australia Land and Water Taskforce. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, pp. 1–73.
Pusey, B.J., Kennard, M.J. & Bird, J. (2000) Fishes of the dune fields of Cape Flattery, northern Queensland and other dune systems in north-eastern Australia. Ichthyological Explorations in Freshwater, 11, 65–74.
Pusey, B.J., Arthington, A.H. & Read, M.G. (2000) The dry season diet of freshwater fishes in monsoonal tropical rivers of Cape York Peninsula, Australia. Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 9, 177–190.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0633.2000.eff090307.xPusey, B.J., Kennard, M.J. & Arthington, A.H. (2004) Freshwater Fishes of North-eastern Australia. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, 684 pp.
Pusey, B.J., Arthington, A.H. and Kennard, M.J. (2004) Hydrological regime and its influence on broadscale patterns of fish diversity in north-eastern Australian rivers. In: de Jalon Lastra, D.G. & Vizcaino Martinez, P. (Eds.), Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium on Ecohydraulics. Aquatic Habitats, Analysis and Restoration. Madrid September 2004. The Institution of Engineers, Barton, pp. 75–81.
Pusey, B., Kennard M., Burrows, D., Perna, C., Kyne, P., Cook, B. & Hughes, J. (2011) Freshwater fish. In: Pusey, B.J. (Ed.), Aquatic Biodiversity of the Wet-Dry Topics of Northern Australia: Patterns, Threats and Future. Charles Darwin University Press, Darwin, pp 71–92.
Pusey, B.J. & Kennard, M.J. (2012) Freshwater fish, ecosystem function and the importance of connectivity. In: Close, P.G. (Ed.), Assessment of the likely impacts of development and climate change on aquatic ecological assets in Northern Australia. A report for the National Water Commission, Australia. Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK) Commonwealth Environmental Research Facility. Charles Darwin University, Darwin, pp. 321–335.
Pusey, B.J., Kennard, M.J., Larson, H.K., Alsop, Q., Hammer, M. & Buckle, D.J. (2016a) Estuarine fishes of the South Alligator River, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory. Marine and Freshwater Research, 67, 1797–1812.
https://doi.org/10.1071/mf15221Pusey, B.J., Fisher, C. & Maclaine, J. (2016b) On the nature of Scleropages leichardti (Günther, 1864). Zootaxa, 4173, 75–84.
Pusey, B.J., Kennard, M.J., Douglas, M. & Allsop, Q. (2016c) Fish assemblage dynamics in an intermittent river of the northern Australian wet-dry tropics. Ecology of Freshwater Fishes. [published online]
https://doi.org/10.1111/eff.12325Pusey, B.J., Bentley, A., Burrow, D., Perna, C., Davis, A. & Hughes, J. (2016d) Complex and contrasting evolutionary histories within the terapontid genus Hephaestus revealed by nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Marine and Freshwater Research, 67, 1813–1825.
RPS Bowman Bishaw Gorham (2006) Preliminary Survey of Freshwater Sawfish and other Fishes of the McArthur River, northern Territory. Report No. M05425. Report to Xstrata, Albion, QLD, 23 pp.
Russell, D.J., McDougall, A.J., Ryan, T.J., Kistle, S.E., Aland, G., Cogle, L. & Langford, P.A. (2000) Natural Resources of the Barron River Catchment 1. Stream Habitat, Fisheries Resources and Biological Indicators. Information Series QI00032. Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane, 68 pp.
https://doi.org/10.1071/mf02046Russell, D.J., Ryan, T.J., McDougall, A.J., Kistle, S.E. & Aland, G. (2003) Species diversity and spatial variation in fish assemblage structure of streams in connected tropical catchments in northern Australia with reference to the occurrence of translocated and exotic species. Marine and Freshwater Research, 54, 813–824.
https://doi.org/10.1071/mf02046Saeed, B., Ivantsoff, W. & Allen, G.R. (1989) Taxonomic revision of the family Pseudomugilidae (Order Atheriniformes). Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 40, 719–787.
https://doi.org/10.1071/mf9890719Sheppard, R. & Helmke, S.A. (1999) A fisheries Resource Assessment of the Annan River. Information Series QI99043. Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane, 53 pp.
Shipham, A., Schmidt, D.J. & Hughes, J.H. (2013) Indirect estimates of natal dispersal from genetic data in a stream-dwelling fish (Mogurnda adspersa). Journal of Heredity, 104, 779–790.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/est055
Stein, J.L., Hutchinson, M.F. & Stein, J.A. (2014) A new stream and nested catchment framework for Australia. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 18, 1917–1933.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1917-2014
Sturman, A. & Tapper, N. (2006) The weather and climate of Australia and New Zealand. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 476 pp.
Trappett, A., Condon, C.H., White, C., Matthews, P. & Wilson, R.S. (2013) Extravagant ornaments of male threadfin rainbowfish (Iriatherina werneri) are not costly for swimming. Functional Ecology, 27, 1034–1041.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12097
Unmack, P. J. (2001) Biogeography of Australian freshwater fishes. Journal of biogeography, 28, 1053–1089.
Unmack, P.J. (2002) Darwin rainbows. Rainbowfish populations with unusual colour varieties within the range of Melanotaenia australis, with miscellaneous observations on other fishes of the Darwin area. Fishes of Sahul, 16, 854–863.
Unmack, P.J. & Dowling, T.E. (2010) Biogeography of the genus Craterocephalus (Teleostei: Atherinidae) in Australia. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 55, 968–984.
https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2699.2001.00615.xUnmack, P.J., Allen, G.R. & Johnson, J.B. (2013) Phylogeny and biogeography of rainbowfishes (Melanotaeniidae) from Australia and New Guinea. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 67, 15–27.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2012.12.019Vidthayanon, C. & Premcharoen, S. (2002) The status of estuarine fish diversity in Thailand. Marine and Freshwater Research, 53, 471–478
Vörösmarty, C.J., McIntyre, B., Gessner, M.O., Dudgeon, D., Prusevich, A., Green, P., Glidden, S., Bunn, S.E., Sullivan, C.A., Reidy Liermann, C. & Davies, P.M. (2010) Global threats to human water security and river. Nature, 467, 555–561.
Waltham, N, Burrows, D. & Schaffer, J. (2014) Freshwater Pest Fish on Saibai, Boigu, Badu and Mabuiag Islands, Torres Strait. Report No. 14/41 TropWATER—Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research. James Cook University, Townsville, 43 pp.
Ward, D., Pusey, B., Brooks, A., Olley, J., Shellberg, J., Spencer, J. & Tews, K. (2011) River landscapes and aqautic systems diversity. In Pusey, B.J. (Ed.), Aquatic Biodiversity of the Wet-Dry Topics of Northern Australia: Patterns, Threats and Future. Charles Darwin University Press. Darwin, pp 5-22.
Webster, P.J., Magana, V.O., Palmer, T. N., Shukla, J., Tomas, R.A., Yanai, M.U. & Yasunari, T. (1998) Monsoons: processes, predictability, and the prospects for prediction. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 103, 14451–14510.
https://doi.org/10.1029/97jc02719Whitfield, A.K., Pantili, J. & Durand, J.-D. (2012) A global review of the cosomopolitan flathead mullet Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1753 (Teleostei: Mugilidae), with emphasis on the biology, genetics, ecology and fisheries aspects of this apparent species complex. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 22, 641–681.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-012-9263-9Wilson, D. & Brooks, S. (2004) Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Trans Territory Underground Gas Pipeline: Aquatic Fauna Study. Alcan Engineering Pty Ltd, Darwin, 24 pp.
Woinarski, J., Mackey, B., Nix, H. & Traill, B. (2007) The nature of northern Australia. Natural values, ecological processes and future prospects. ANUE Press, Canberra, 127 pp.
Xia, R., Durand, J.D. & Fu, C. (2016) Multilocus resolution of Mugilidae phylogeny (Teleostei: Mugiliformes): Implications for the family’s taxonomy. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 96, 161–177.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2015.12.010Zhu, D., Jamieson, B.J.M., Hugall, A. & Moritz, C. (1994) Sequence evolution and phylogenetic signal in control-region and cytochrome b sequences of rainbow fishes (Melanotaeniidae). Molecular Biology and Evolution, 11, 672–683.
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a040146