Honey blue-eye
| Honey blue-eye | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Atheriniformes |
| Family: | Pseudomugilidae |
| Genus: | Pseudomugil |
| Species: | P. mellis |
| Binomial name | |
|
Pseudomugil mellis G. R. Allen & Ivantsoff, 1982 |
|
The honey blue-eye (Pseudomugil mellis) is an endangered species of fish in the family Pseudomugilidae. It is endemic to southeastern Queensland, Australia, where it is found in mildly acidic, often tannin-stained, ponds and streams in wallum habitat.
Previously considered a colour variant of the related pacific blue-eye (Pseudomugil signifer), the honey blue-eye was described by Gerald R. Allen and Walter Ivantsoff in 1982. The species name is derived from the Latin word mel "honey". It is markedly smaller than its close relative. It was confirmed genetically as distinct in a molecular study of it and the Pacific blue-eye in 2004.
The honey blue-eye is a small, pale honey coloured fish that can attain up to 2.5–3 cm (1–1 1⁄8 in) in length as an adult, with the largest recorded being a male of 3.8 cm (1 1⁄2 in). As the common name suggests, the honey blue-eye has blue eyes. It has blue cheeks and a single fine midlateral line running along its body from the tip of the pectoral fin backwards. The female has clear fins. Male honey blue-eyes have distinct black submarginal bands and white margins on their dorsal, anal and caudal fins. Honey blue-eyes form schools from about 25 to 70 individuals.
The honey blue-eye is found in two disjunct areas of in wallum heathland in central and southeastern Queensland: in Dismal Swamp 70 km northeast of Rockhampton, and then from lakes and streams around Tin Can Bay south to Tibrogargan Creek 45 km north of Brisbane. It is found on Fraser Island but not other islands off the Queensland coast. Within its range its occurrence is patchy—it is found in 18 scattered localities. The water it is found in is generally slow-moving, mildly acidic (pH 4.4–6.8), and either clear or stained with tannin. Fish species it is commonly found with include ornate rainbowfish (Rhadinocentrus ornatus), crimson-spotted rainbowfish (Melanotaenia duboulayi), empire gudgeon (Hypseleotris compressa), firetailed gudgeon (Hypseleotris galii), and western carp gudgeon (Hypseleotris klunzingeri), and occasionally with the Oxleyan pygmy perch (Nannoperca oxleyana) or Pacific blue-eye.
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