Kurtus gulliveri explained

Kurtus gulliveri, the nurseryfish, is a species of fish in the family Kurtidae native to fresh and brackish waters in southern New Guinea and northern Australia.^[1] This species is famous for its unusual breeding strategy where the male carries the egg cluster on a hook protruding from the forehead (supraoccipital).^[1] Females do not have a hook.^[1] It feeds on crustaceans (especially prawn and shrimp), small fish and insect larvae.^[2] This species is well regarded as food. The specific name honours a "Mr Gulliver" who collected the type, thought most likely to refer to Thomas Allen Gulliver (1847-1931) who worked on Australia's a post and telegraph services and who lived near the Norman River, Gulf of Carpentaria where he collected natural history specimens and where the type of this species was collected.^[3]

Biology

The nurseryfish is considered euryhaline^[4] and can be found in estuaries, mangrove swamps, nipa swamps and slow-flowing rivers with high turbidity. This species can reach a length of 63cm (25inches), although most are far smaller. In a study of its morphology, 159 specimens were examined and the largest was 33cm (13inches), while the average was 14cm (06inches). Nurseryfish also have small, conical teeth arranged in bands and some in patches. They are carnivorous. Their spawning season is thought to be from June to January.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Berra, T.B. (2003). Nurseryfish, Kurtus gulliveri (Perciformes: Kurtidae), from northern Australia: redescription, distribution, egg mass, and comparison with K. indicus from southeast Asia. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters 14(4): 295-306.
2. Berra, T.B.; and Wedd, D. (2001). Alimentary canal anatomy and diet of the nurseryfish, Kurtus gulliveri (Perciformes: Kurtidae) from the Northern Territory of Australia. The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory 17: 21-25.
3. Web site: Order KURTIFORMES (Nurseryfishes and Cardinalfishes) . 17 September 2018 . Christopher Scharpf . Kenneth J. Lazara . amp . The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database . Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara . 31 May 2018.
4. Crook . David A. . Wedd . Dion . Berra . Tim M. . 2015 . Analysis of otolith 87 Sr/ 86 Sr to elucidate salinity histories of Nurseryfish Kurtus gulliveri (Perciformes:Kurtidae) in a tropical lowland river in northern Australia . Freshwater Science . en . 34 . 2 . 609–619 . 10.1086/681022 . 2161-9549.
5. Berra . Tim M. . Wedd . Dion . He . You . 2016 . Larval nurseryfish, Kurtus gulliveri (Perciformes : Kurtidae), in the Adelaide River of the Northern Territory: their season, fellow travellers and unusual rib anatomy . Australian Journal of Zoology . en . 64 . 4 . 262 . 10.1071/ZO16041 . 0004-959X.