Flyspeck Hardyhead

About

Found across a wide sweep of northern and eastern Australia, this small freshwater fish belongs to the genus Craterocephalus. Which holds the distinction of containing more species than any other Australian freshwater fish genus, and whose members are thought to have a longer evolutionary relationship with Australian inland waters than most of their neighbors. The common name of this fish is identical to its scientific name, so it is worth knowing that among Australian hobbyists it circulates simply as a craterocephalus or flyspeck hardyhead. It rarely turns up in the international trade, which is a shame, because it is a genuinely easy species to keep. Peaceful and community-friendly, it works particularly well alongside rainbowfish and freshwater gobies. Like many schooling fish, it can be skittish in small numbers, so a group of eight to ten is really the minimum you want. Males color up noticeably when competing with rivals and courting females, so a ratio of two or three females per male is worth aiming for. What makes this species scientifically interesting is that populations living quite close to one another, sometimes even in the same water body, show genetic differences large enough to hint that we may actually be dealing with multiple distinct species. Taxonomic revision is likely down the road.