Smallmouth Hardyhead, Atherinosoma microstoma (Günther, 1861)
Endora's Hardyhead, Fanged Hardyhead
Introduction
The Smallmouth Hardyhead is a small silvery-coloured fish that is common in shallow coastal habitats of southern Australian waters.
Identification
The Smallmouth Hardyhead looks similar to other species of hardyheads. They are quite difficult to identify. The Smallmouth Hardyhead's coppery lateral stripe combined with its distribution help to identify the species.
Habitat
The species occurs in a wide range of habitats from freshwater to fully marine.
Distribution
The species occurs in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.
The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.
References
- Gomon, M.F., Bray, D. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 2008. The Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Reed New Holland. Pp. 928.
- Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & G.R. Allen. 2006. Fishes. In Beesley, P.L. & A. Wells. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Australia. parts 1-3, pages 1-2178.