New publication on growth rate of Mogurnda
The Friends of Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park Inc. Fish and Water monitoring project has a new publication. An article describing the results of our last three years’ work has been published in the local journal Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia.
The citation is: Martin Caon, Raymond Hickman, Robert Gabb, Mike Tanner, Garry Trethewey and Robert Brandle (2023) Mogurnda clivicola (Flinders Ranges Mogurnda): Growth rate in the wild and further results of a monitoring program. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 147 (1), p
Abstract: Mogurnda clivicola (Flinders Ranges Mogurnda) inhabits three spring-fed water hole systems of two otherwise dry creek beds in the northern Flinders Ranges of South Australia. Between 2017 and 2022, the fish were monitored for breeding and growth and indicators of water quality. Heavy rainfall events in February 2020, November 2021 and January 2022 led to at least two creek floods which stimulated large scale spawning on two occasions during the monitoring period. One and a half months after spawning, young fish grew to between 1.5 and 2.5 cm in length and then between 7.5 and 9.0 cm in length by 27 months of age. Water flow between pools in the creek during the floods, allowed the fish to move into downstream pools of water that have not previously held fish during the study period. A thorough sampling of fish length frequency to comprehensively sample age ranges in the population is easily achieved by combining two capture methods, dip-nets and baited fish traps. A small proportion of fish have skin lesions, but their prevalence does not seem to be increasing.
You can read the article from the publications page on our website here: https://friendsofgammons.org.au/publications/ , otherwise, you may read the “post-print” version here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368841151_Mogurnda_clivicola_Flinders_Ranges_Mogurnda_Growth_rate_in_the_wild_and_further_results_of_a_monitoring_program
