Bony bream ''Nematalosa erebi'' are a widespread and common, small to medium-sized

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n freshwater fish often found in large shoals throughout much of northern and central Australia, and the Murray-Darling basin.

Description

A deep bodied, laterally compressed fish with a blunt snout. Spineless

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...

with the posterior ray developed into a long filament. Usually silver overall, sometimes grey to greenish dorsally. In

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

it has been reported to develop a rusty red tinge especially around the mouth which is thought to be related to breeding. Some populations develop a dark blotch on the shoulder.

Distribution

Common and widespread throughout its

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

, found in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...

Timor Sea The Timor Sea (, , or ) is a relatively shallow sea in the Indian Ocean bounded to the north by the island of Timor with Timor-Leste to the north, Indonesia to the northwest, Arafura Sea to the east, and to the south by Australia. The Sunda Tr ...

Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria is a sea off the northern coast of Australia. It is enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea, which separates Australia and New Guinea. The northern boundary ...

, Northeast Coast, Murray-Darling (at elevations below 200 metres, 650 ft) Are present in Tinaroo Dam, elevation 660m, often referred to as "Barra lollies" because of a tendency for impoundment barramundi to round them up and

Lake Eyre Lake Eyre ( ), officially known as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, is an endorheic lake in the east-central part of the Far North (South Australia), Far North region of South Australia, some 700 km (435 mi) north of Adelaide. It is the larg ...

Australian drainage divisions. Tends to forms large shoals near the bottom.

Habitat

Variable, but mostly in shallow areas of slow flowing or still rivers and streams, especially in turbid conditions; desert bores; and, fresh or

saline lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per liter). I ...

s (up to almost sea water salinity). Can tolerate water temperatures between 9° and 38 °C and a pH between 4.8 and 8.6. Despite these wide tolerances, bony bream are susceptible to low oxygen levels and are often the first species to succumb when

ephemeral Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, fr ...

habitats begin to dry up.

Diet

Primarily feeds on

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning "the depths". ...

algae but also consumes detritus and small invertebrates.

References

External links

Bony Bream video on Youtube
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2209883 Freshwater fish of Australia Nematalosa Taxa named by Albert Günther Fish described in 1868