Conservation of the endangered red-finned blue-eye, Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis, and control of alien eastern gambusia, Gambusia holbrooki, in a spring wetland complex
Adam Kerezsy A C and Rod Fensham B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Bush Heritage Australia, Collins Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3000, Australia.
B Queensland Herbarium, Department of Environment and Resource Management, Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, Qld 4066, Australia, and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: kerezsy@hotmail.com
Marine and Freshwater Research 64(9) 851-863 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF12236
Submitted: 29 August 2012 Accepted: 5 February 2013 Published: 6 September 2013
Abstract
The red-finned blue-eye is the only pseudomugilid fish known from inland Australia and it is found only within an isolated cluster of Great Artesian Basin springs on Edgbaston Reserve in central-western Queensland. Surveys conducted in early 2009 revealed that red-finned blue-eye was present in four individual springs and that invasion of the spring complex by alien eastern gambusia was the most likely factor contributing to local extirpations. A three-year project commenced in the same year, with the twin aims of investigating methods for removing gambusia from springs and relocating small populations of red-finned blue-eye to fish-free springs. Gambusia removal with rotenone has been successful in a trial spring at Edgbaston and aquatic invertebrates have not been adversely affected. From a total of seven relocation events conducted in the same period, red-finned blue-eye populations have persisted in three. The results indicate that gambusia removal and red-finned blue-eye relocation are both suitable methods for red-finned blue-eye conservation, and as the fish is both endangered and declining, these methods and other strategies such as captive breeding should be implemented to prevent species extinction.
Additional keywords: endangered species recovery, Great Artesian Basin, invasive species control, Lake Eyre Basin, rotenone.
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