DESCRIPTIONS OF THREE NEW SPECIES AND ONE SUBSPECIES AND ONE SUBSPECIES OF FRESHWATER HARDYHEAD (PISCES ATHERINIDAE CRATEROCEPHALUS) FROM AUSTRALIA

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 1 decade ago

Abstract
Three new species and a new subspecies belonging to the atherinid genus Craterocephalus are described. The fish from south-eastern Australia previously recognised as C. fluviatilis is described as a subspecies of the more northerly occurring C. stercusmuscarum. The two subspecies are distinguished by differences in colour pattern and vertebral counts. A new name, C. stercusmuscarum fulvus is proposed because fluviatilis is regarded as a junior synonym of C. eyresii. A hardyhead from the Northern Territory which has been erroneously identified as C. marjoriae is described as a new species - C. marianae, based on differences in transverse scale counts, position of the anus, gill raker shape, and colour pattern. Two additonal new species, C. helenae and C. lentiginosus are described from the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The former species is closely allied to C. marianae but differs in counts of midlateral scales, vertebrae, and gill rakers. Craterocephalus lentiginosus is most closely related to C. stercusmuscarum, but differs from it in having consistently lower meristic counts and by the presence of a lateral process on the premaxilla.