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Kurtus gulliveri

(Australian Forehead Brooder)

Overview

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Family : Nurseryfishes ; Inhabits mangrove-nipa swamps , brackish estuaries and slow-flowing turbid rivers . Feeds on small fishes , shrimps and crayfish. The male carries the eggs around like a bunch of grapes attached to a hook on the head [1]. Esteemed table fish [2].

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Danish:

Nordaustralsk Krogpandefisk

Common Names in English:

Australian Forehead Brooder, Humphead, Incubator Fish, Nurseryfish

Common Names in German:

Australischer Kurter, Höckerkopf, Höckerkopf

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

魚

Description

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Family Kurtidae

Small family of two species in the genus Kurtus. Kurtus indicus occurs in coastal areas from the Coromandel Coast of southeast India to China, Indonesia, and Borneo. It occasionally enters estuaries, but is mostly found in marine waters. Kurtus gulliveri is found in northern Australia and southern New Guinea and is more likely to occur in large, turbid rivers and estuaries. Kurtus has a compressed , oblong body with small cycloid scales and a rudimentary anterior lateral line. The opercular bones are very thin. Four spines are present at the angle of the preopercle. The dorsal fin is single with a reduced anterior spinous part followed by soft rays . The back is elevated into a hump . The mouth is large with villiform jaw teeth. The anal fin is long with two anal spines . Kurtus indicus has 31-32 soft anal rays, and K . gulliveri has 44-47 soft anal rays. The pelvic fin has one spine and five rays. The caudal fin is deeply forked . Expanded ribs completely enclose the posterior portion of the swim bladder and partially enclose the anterior portion. The most distinctive feature of this genus is the presence in males of an occipital hook directed anteriorly and downward nearly forming a closed ring . This hook is formed from the supraoccipital and modified dorsal spines; it is used to carry eggs . Females lack a hook. Young males show only a slight protuberance that eventually enlarges as the fish grows. A maximum length of 60 cm has been reported for Kurtus gulliveri.The family Kurtidae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes ) and the Order Perciformes. It contains 1 genus and 2 species. It may be found in Marine, Brackish , and Freshwater environments and is primarily Peripheral/diadromous. Members of this family are not used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are bearers. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is subcarangiform. This family may be found from 23° n to 18° s and 78° w to 145° e. Etymology of this family name : Greek, kyrtos, -e, -on = curved , with a hump

Habitat

Biome: Fresh water , brackish water. Benthopelagic.

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Group expert : Berra T.M., Data last modified by FishBase 13-Jun-1994

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Kurtus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 4 species and subspecies in this genus:

K. argenteus · K. gulliveri (Australian Forehead Brooder) · K. indicus (Indian Forehead Brooder) · K. macrolepidotus

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 01, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Berra, T. (2001). Freshwater fish distribution. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, USA. [back]
  2. Grant, E.M. (1965). Guide to Fishes. Department of Harbours and Marine, Queensland. 280 p. Reprint of Fifth Edition, 1985. [back]
Last Revised: 7/2/2009