Redfinned bully
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| Gobiomorphus huttoni (Ogilby, 1894) |
The redfinned bully, Gobiomorphus huttoni, is a sleeper of the genus Gobiomorphus, found in most rivers in New Zealand including the Chatham Islands. Their length is up to 12 cm.
Adult male redfinned bullies have bright red fins, and all of the species have diagonal stripes on their cheeks.
Redfinned bullies are strictly diadromous and do not establish land-locked populations. Thus, they tend to live near the coast even though they are very good climbers; populations above 5 metre waterfalls have been recorded.
The juveniles enter fresh water in the spring and reach maturity about two years later. Spawning takes place in fresh water and after hatching the larvae are swept down to the sea. This diadromous habit means that they are widespread throughout the country and have been frequently recorded from the Chatham and Stewart Islands. However, their preference for streams with large stable substrate means that they are rare along the east coast of the South Island above Oamaru, except for Banks Peninsula.
[edit] References
- "Gobiomorphus huttoni". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. March 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- NIWA June 2006
