Spangled perch (Leiopotherapon unicolor)

Scientific name: Leiopotherapon unicolor G?nther, 1859

Spangled perch (Leiopotherapon unicolor)

The Spangled perch (Leiopotherapon unicolor) is a freshwater fish of the family Terapontidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 15–30°C (59–86°F). Native range: Oceania, Endemic to Australia.

Spangled perch care at a glance

Temperature
15–30°C (59–86°F)

Biology

Adults inhabit forest streams to desert bores under equally variable regimes of salinity (pure fresh to seawater), pH (4.0 to 8.6) and temperature (5? to 44? C). Occur in billabongs, lakes and dams. May be encountered in any temporary water in the interior after rains, including wheel ruts of vehicle tracks. Omnivorous, feed on insects, crustaceans, mollusks and plants. A hardy species that may be capable of surviving droughts by aestivating in wet mud or under moist little on the bottom of ephemeral waterholes. Spawning occurs on summer nights (November onwards) when water temperatures reach 20?-26?C. Fish moves upstream in rivers or to the shallows in lakes and ponds to spawn on soft substrates. The eggs hatch in 2 days and larval development is complete in about 24 days. Eggs are guarded and fanned by the male parent. Neither anterolateral glandular grooves nor venom gland is present.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Leiopotherapon unicolor
Family
Terapontidae (Grunters or tigerperches)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
31.0
Environment
Freshwater; brackish; demersal; potamodromous
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Oceania: Endemic to Australia.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Fec = 1,727)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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