Chlamydogobius
Encyclopedia
Chlamydogobius is a genus
of freshwater fish in the family
Gobiidae (commonly known as gobies).
They live in extreme environments; for example, several species of Chlamydogobius are found in the water that emerges from geothermal springs in Australia
, such as the Dalhousie goby, found in the waters around Dalhousie Springs
, Australia.
These fish can live in water with a wide range of temperatures, pH
, salinity
, and oxygen
levels; for example they are found in water with a pH between 6.8 and 9.0, and temperatures between 3 and 43 degrees Celsius. They can tolerate salinity as high as 60 parts per thousand. They have been found in water with extremely low oxygen levels (as low as 0.8 ppm). Their water habitats often exhibit oxygen levels below 5 milligrams of oxygen per litre.
To cope with extremely low oxygen levels, they will emerge from the water to "gulp" air (known as aerial respiration). They also will position themselves over beds of algae
to capture the produced oxygen.
They will hide in the mud and silt at the bottom of a stream, or in a plant or under a rock to avoid more extreme water temperatures. Sometimes they will emerge from very hot water for brief periods to take advantage of evaporative cooling.
They can survive even if there are drought conditions that reduce the size of their habitat. If there is a flood that results in drastically increased water flow, they anchor themselves to rocks with their pelvic fins.
Chlamydogobius fish are able to change their colours to blend in with their environments.
Human drilling activities in Australia have often reduced the pressure of the aquifer
s that feed the Australian hot springs that Chlamydogobius rely on, so some species are endangered.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of freshwater fish in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Gobiidae (commonly known as gobies).
They live in extreme environments; for example, several species of Chlamydogobius are found in the water that emerges from geothermal springs in 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...
, such as the Dalhousie goby, found in the waters around Dalhousie Springs
Dalhousie Springs
Dalhousie Springs are collection of over 60 natural artesian springs located in Witjira National Park on the western fringe of the Simpson Desert, 180 kilometres northeast of Oodnadatta in northern South Australia. Spring water temperatures range from 38 to 43 degrees C. The water is highly...
, Australia.
These fish can live in water with a wide range of temperatures, pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
, salinity
Salinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
, and oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
levels; for example they are found in water with a pH between 6.8 and 9.0, and temperatures between 3 and 43 degrees Celsius. They can tolerate salinity as high as 60 parts per thousand. They have been found in water with extremely low oxygen levels (as low as 0.8 ppm). Their water habitats often exhibit oxygen levels below 5 milligrams of oxygen per litre.
To cope with extremely low oxygen levels, they will emerge from the water to "gulp" air (known as aerial respiration). They also will position themselves over beds of algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
to capture the produced oxygen.
They will hide in the mud and silt at the bottom of a stream, or in a plant or under a rock to avoid more extreme water temperatures. Sometimes they will emerge from very hot water for brief periods to take advantage of evaporative cooling.
They can survive even if there are drought conditions that reduce the size of their habitat. If there is a flood that results in drastically increased water flow, they anchor themselves to rocks with their pelvic fins.
Chlamydogobius fish are able to change their colours to blend in with their environments.
Human drilling activities in Australia have often reduced the pressure of the aquifer
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
s that feed the Australian hot springs that Chlamydogobius rely on, so some species are endangered.
Species
- Desert goby, Chlamydogobius eremius (Zietz, 1896)
- Dalhousie gobyDalhousie gobyThe dalhousie goby is a species of fish in the Gobiidae family. It is endemic to Australia.-Source:* Wager, R. 1996. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....
, Chlamydogobius gloveri Larson, 1995) - Chlamydogobius japalpa Larson, 1995)
- Chlamydogobius micropterus Larson, 1995)
- Tadpole goby, Chlamydogobius ranunculus Larson, 1995)
- Edgbaston gobyEdgbaston gobyThe edgbaston goby is a species of fish in the Gobiidae family. It is endemic to Australia.-Source:* Wager, R. 1996. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....
, Chlamydogobius squamigenus Larson, 1995)