Ornate Sunfish (R.Ornatus) Redlands
Photo © Simon Baltais/WPSQ

Members of Wildlife Queensland Bayside Branch and Australia and New Guinea Fishes Association QLD continue their search for the elusive ornate sunfish, Rhadinocentrus ornatus in the Greater Brisbane and Redlands region.  Teams explored the Redlands area recently and discovered a new population of ornate sunfish and re-confirmed another.

Other good finds include Crimson spotted Rainbowfish, Melanotaenia duboulayi and Macrobrachium sp (River prawns). The Redlands continues to support some very good habitat for native aquatic species but where ever land clearing and urbanisation has occurred we find few ornate sunfish and rainbowfish but signficant numbers of feral fish, particularly eastern gambusia, Gambusia holbrooki. Gambusia are a real problem, they are a declared noxious species and are noted for their nipping of fins and attacking native fish.

In the next few weeks teams will move into the Brisbane area to reconfirm known populations of ornate sunfish and look for new populations.

More information on the search for the elusive Sunfish.

For more information on Wildlife Queensland's activities, call us on +61 7 3221 0194 or send us an email.