Hypseleotris barrawayi
Species Summary
Hypseleotris barrawayi belongs to a small, distinctive north-western Australian lineage of carp gudgeons, known from the upper Katherine River region of the Northern Territory and related to the Barnett River Gudgeon (Hypseleotris kimberleyensis) of the Kimberley. Northern Territory Museum ichthyologist Helen Larson, who has studied the species closely, reports that it readily adapts to captivity. A further, similar form recorded from the Limmen Bight River, superficially resembling the Firetail Gudgeon, remains unresolved: the original specimens were unfortunately misplaced before they could be fully studied, and it has not been relocated since.
Carp gudgeons (genus Hypseleotris) are a notoriously confusing group even for experienced native-fish keepers: several look-alike species can share the same waterway, few people can reliably tell them apart on sight, and published photographs in field guides have historically been misidentified more often than not. Presently around eleven described and undescribed species are recognised from Australia. Collecting your own is the only realistic way to keep most of them, since none are commercially bred or offered for sale; all mature at around 3 cm, and males tend to set up territory in a small cave, tube or flowerpot, where they will also spawn, so a tank furnished with several potential spawning sites suits a group well. Wild-caught fish are often initially reluctant to take live-then-frozen brine shrimp or bloodworm, but usually come around; most species tolerate 4–37 °C and are most comfortable around 15–25 °C. Reported captive lifespans run to 3–5 years for most carp gudgeons.
Compiled for Home of the Rainbowfish from ANGFA sources: P. J. Unmack, “The genus Hypseleotris of southeastern Australia, its identification and breeding biology”, Fishes of Sahul 14, 2000, pp. 645–657.