Periophthalmus darwini

Darwin's mudskipper (Periophthalmus darwini) is a relatively newly discovered mudskipper in 2004, so little is known about it. It is a brackish water ray-finned fish found in Australia along mud banks never far from mangrove trees. It is in the goby family Gobiidae. It is named after Charles Darwin because the holotype was collected in Darwin Harbour. Its greatest distinguishing characteristic from other mudskippers is its greatly reduced first dorsal fin in both sexes.[1][2][3]

Periophthalmus darwini
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Gobiiformes
Family: Oxudercidae
Genus: Periophthalmus
Species:
P. darwini
Binomial name
Periophthalmus darwini
Larson & Takita, 2004

Description

The Darwin's mudskipper has a body shape and dorsally pultruding eyes similar to other mudskippers. They have a maximum length of 4.6 cm. It has 5 – 7 dorsal spines, 10 – 12 dorsal rays, 1 anal spine, and 11 – 13 anal rays. Its greatest distinguishing characteristic from other mudskippers is its greatly reduced first dorsal fin in both sexes. Its coloration is modally with a background color of light brown. They typically have dark brown streaks on their heads. They usually have dark brown saddles and diagonal and irregular bars.

Diet

The Darwin's mudskipper has been seen eating small invertebrates such as small crabs, but there has not been any published studies[2] on this topic.

Habitat

The Darwin's mudskipper is a brackish to freshwater fish. It is found in the intertidal zone, in tidal creeks, and in inlets along mud banks. They are always near mangrove trees. They often group together. They are considered less aggressive than other mudskippers.

Reproduction and life cycle

There is no published study available on the life cycle or reproduction of the Darwin's mudskipper.

Distribution

Darwin's mudskipper can be found in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Importance to humans

The Darwin's mudskipper is harmless to humans[1]. There are other mud skippers in the aquarium trade, but the Darwin's mudskipper is not.

Etymology

The vernacular name and specific name honour Charles Darwin who the type locality, Darwin, Northern Territory was named after.[4]

References
  1. "Periophthalmus darwini summary page".
  2. "The mudskipper - Periophthalmus darwini".
  3. Jaafar, Zeehan; Larson, Helen K. (2008). "A New Species of Mudskipper, Periophthalmus takita (Teleostei: Gobiidae: Oxudercinae), from Australia, with a Key to the Genus". Zoological Science. 25 (9): 946–952. doi:10.2108/zsj.25.946. PMID 19267605.
  4. Christopher Scharpf; Kenneth J. Lazara (24 July 2018). "Order GOBIIFORMES: Family OXUDERCIDAE (p-z)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
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