Midgley’s or Black-blotch Grunter in Kakadu

By Greg Wallis (pseudechis) at YouTube: Midgley’s Grunter or Black-blotch Grunter (Pingalla midgleyi) in Kakadu

This video shows four common grunters (Teraponidae) found in the waterways of Kakadu: Midgley’s Grunter (Pingalla midgleyi), Butler’s Grunter or Sharp-nose Grunter (Syncomistes butleri), Sooty Grunter (Hephaestus fuliginosus), and the Banded, Barred or Black-striped Grunter (Amniataba percoides).These fish were filmed in the catchment of the South Alligator River.

Midgley’s Grunter is distinguished from the others in this video by the rich black blotch on it’s anal fin and the lack of dark markings on any of the other fins. When alarmed (not shown in this video), these fish can also have darker brown horizontal lines running along their sides which makes them superficially very similar to young Butler’s Grunters.

Young Sooty Grunters also have a dark blotch on the anal fin but there are also dark markings on the dorsal fins which are lacking in the Midgley’s Grunter. The first fish in the video ( 0:01) which enters from the top right hand side of the screen has a prominent black marking on the anal fin but it also has dark markings on the dorsal fins, so it is a young Sooty Grunter.

Butler’s Grunters have a much “sharper” snout than the Sooty or Midgley’s Grunters

0:15 centre of screen is a Midgley’s Grunter
0:20 centre of screen is a young Sooty Grunter
0:26 centre of screen is a Midgley’s Grunter
0:29 centre of screen is a Butler’s Grunter
0:31 centre of screen is a young Sooty Grunter, and a Midgley’s Grunter entering from the top right hand side of the screen

For more information see:

Martin F. Gomon, 2011, Midgley’s Grunter, Pingalla midgleyi, in Fishes of Australia, accessed 11 Aug 2013, http://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/…

Martin F. Gomon, 2011, Sooty Grunter, Hephaestus fuliginosus, in Fishes of Australia, accessed 11 Aug 2013, http://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/…

Martin F. Gomon & Dianne J. Bray, 2011, Sharpnose Grunter, Syncomistes butleri, in Fishes of Australia, accessed 11 Aug 2013, http://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/…

Vanessa J. Thompson & Dianne J. Bray, 2011, Barred Grunter, Amniataba percoides, in Fishes of Australia, accessed 11 Aug 2013, http://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/…

The Fish Atlas of North Australia — South Alligator River, http://www.jcu.edu.au/archive/actfr_o…