Periophthalmus argentilineatus

(Valenciennes, 1837)

Silverlined Mudskipper

Mudskippers are the most amphibious of all fishes, breathing air through their skin and the lining of their mouth and throat, able to survive for hours out of water in humid burrows and even to jump distances of up to 60 cm across exposed mud. Around 40 species in ten genera occur worldwide, with Periophthalmus the most diverse genus at 18 species, seven of them recorded from Australia. They are largely sexually monomorphic outside the breeding season, when males display and defend territories around their burrows; larvae drift in the plankton before returning to settle on mudflats as juveniles.

The smaller cousin of the Blue-spotted Mudskipper, Periophthalmus argentilineatus was observed sharing the same territorial display behaviour at the Wenlock River mouth near Weipa. In the aquarium, mudskippers of this genus are typically kept at 22–30 °C with 60–80% humidity above the waterline and a pH of 8.0–8.5.

Compiled for Home of the Rainbowfish from ANGFA sources: A. R. Tappin (compiler), “Mudskippers”, In-Stream 23, 2014, pp. 16–20; J. Lenagan, “Cairns to Weipa and back… the Gobioides. Part 1”, Fishes of Sahul 33, 2019, pp. 1448–1483; M. Edwardes, “Land of Wonder: A Pom’s Eye-View”, In-Stream 11, 2002, pp. 12–14.