Bony bream Nematalosa erebi are a widespread and common, small to medium sized Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n freshwater fish often found in large shoals throughout much of northern and central Australia, and the Murray-Darling basin

Murray-Darling Basin

The Murray-Darling basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, whose name is derived from its two major rivers, the Murray River and the Darling River. It drains one-seventh of the Australian land mass, and is currently by far the most significant agricultural...

.

Description

A deep bodied, laterally compressed fish with a blunt snout. Spineless dorsal fin

Dorsal fin

A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...

 with the posterior ray developedinto a long filament. Usually silver overall, sometimes grey to greenish dorsally. In Victoria it has been reported to develop a rusty red tinge especially around the mouth which is thought to be related to breeding. Some populations develop a dark blotch on the shoulder.

Distribution

Common and widespread throughout its range, found in the Pilbara, Timor Sea, Gulf of Carpentaria, Northeast Coast

Australian north-east coast drainage division

The north-east coast drainage division is the area of Queensland between the Great Dividing Range and the ocean. It lies between Torres Strait and an arbitrary line drawn along the Queensland - New South Wales border.-See also:...

, Murray-Darling

Murray-Darling Basin

The Murray-Darling basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, whose name is derived from its two major rivers, the Murray River and the Darling River. It drains one-seventh of the Australian land mass, and is currently by far the most significant agricultural...

 (at elevations below 200 metres, 650 ft) Are present in Tinaroo Dam, elevation 660m, often referred to as "Barra lollies" because of a tendency for impoundment barramundi to round them up and Lake Eyre

Lake Eyre Basin

The Lake Eyre basin is a drainage basin that covers just under one-sixth of all Australia. The Lake Eyre Basin is the largest endorheic basin in Australia and amongst the largest in the world, covering about 1,200,000 square kilometres, including much of inland Queensland, large portions of South...

 Australian drainage divisions

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

. Tends to forms large shoals near the bottom.

Habitat

Variable, but mostly in shallow areas of slow flowing or still rivers and streams, especially in turbid conditions; desert bores; and, fresh or saline lakes (up to almost sea water salinity). Can tolerate water temperatures between 9° and 38°C and a pH between 4.8 and 8.6. Despite these wide tolerances, bony bream are susceptible to low oxygen levels and are often the first species to succumb when ephemeral

Ephemeral

Ephemeral things are transitory, existing only briefly. Typically the term is used to describe objects found in nature, although it can describe a wide range of things....

habitats begin to dry up.