© Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia Full citation Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia: Volume 1 - Bony and Cartilaginous Fishes. Report for the South Australian Working Group for Marine Species of Conservation Concern. J. Baker (consultant); Science and Conservation Division, and Coast and Marine Conservation branches of S.A. Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH); Marine and Coastal Community Network of S.A. (MCCN), and Threatened Species Network (TSN). Web version published by Reef Watch, South Australia.

---

Short-snout Hardyhead

Family Name:	Atherinidae
Scientific Name:	Kestratherina brevirostris Pavlov, Ivantsoff, Last & Crowley, 1988
Recommended Status in S.A:	Data Deficient
Rationale:  The species is included here because (i) South Australia is at the edge of the geographic range; (ii) K. brevirostris utilises estuaries and shallow nearshore bays, and there are few estuaries in S.A.; (iii) the species apparently occurs over a narrow depth range; (iv) habitat damage and decline in water quality may be potential threats to populations of K. brevirostris, given that the species occurs in estuaries and shallow, sheltered coastal bays over a narrow depth range. In South Australia, many of the shallow bay and estuarine habitats are subject to numerous physical, chemical, biological, and combined impacts, but there are no data on the specific effects of decline in habitat quality on hardyhead species. It is possible that the Short-snout Hardyhead has a broader range in S.A. than is recorded, and that when found, could be mistaken for K. esox or other hardyhead species. The species is listed here as Data Deficient, because there are very few records, and surveys in shallow bays and estuaries are required to determine the distribution and relative abundance of K. brevirostris in South Australia.

Page Contents

Current Conservation Status

No listings known

Distribution

Southern Australia

The species has a southeastern Australian distribution, and is known from Tasmania; Flinders I. and King I. in Bass Strait; Victoria (e.g. Western Port Bay); and South Australia (Kuiter, 1993; Ivantsoff, in Gomon et al., 1994; Edgar et al., 1999).
The species is considered to be moderately common in sheltered marine habitats at many localities in Tasmania, but with a patchy distribution (Ivantsoff, in Gomon et al., 1994). Examples of locations in Tasmania in which the species occurs include the Tamar River estuary, Derwent River estuary, Huon River and Port Esperance region, Macquarie Harbour, and the Bathurst Harbour / Port Davey region (Edgar, 1991; Edgar et al., 1999; O’Connor et al., 1996; DPIWE, 2002).
Short-snout Hardyhead is considered to be common in seagrass in Western Port Bay in Victoria (EPA, 1996, cited by Plummer et al., 2003).
IMCRA Technical Group (1996) considered Kestratherina brevirostris to be one of the indicator species for the Tasmanian Province, which extends from the north-eastern tip of Tasmania at Cape Naturaliste, encircling the west, south and east coasts, up to Cape Grim at its north-western extremity. Trial Bay in Tasmania is the type locality (Eschmeyer, 2001).

South Australia

There are few published records from South Australia, other than from Franklin Harbour (Ivantsoff, in Gomon et al., 1994).
There are no identified museum specimens from South Australia (OZCAM database, 2007)

Habitat

Kestratherina brevirostris occurs in shallow, sheltered habitats (Ivantsoff, in Gomon et al., 1994), such as sheltered coastal bays and clear marine estuaries (Kuiter, 1993). The species is also found in schools, in what Kuiter (1993, 1996b) described as “rocky, sandy vegetated areas”. The species has been recorded in numerous estuaries in Tasmania, some listed above in the section on Distribution(Edgar, 1991; Edgar et al., 1999; O’Connor et al., 1996; DPIWE, 2002).
Examples of depths at which the species has been recorded include 1m and 2m (Museum of Victoria records, cited in OZCAM database, 2007).

Notes on the Biology

Short-snout Hardyhead grows to around 10cm (Kuiter, 1993; Ivantsoff, in Gomon et al., 1994).
The species is preyed upon by bony fish such as Australian Salmon Arripis truttaceus (Edgar and Shaw, 1995b, cited in Froese and Pauly, 2007).

Vulnerable Characteristics of the Species, and Threatening Processes

There are few estuaries in S.A; hence there is limited available habitat for this species in South Australia, which is also at the edge of the geographic range.
Potential threats to populations of K. brevirostris relate to habitat damage and decline in water quality, given that the species occurs in shallow estuaries and sheltered coastal bays. In South Australia, coastal habitats in some areas, particularly shallow bays and estuaries, are subject to numerous physical, chemical, biological, and combined impacts (e.g. upper and central Spencer Gulf, upper Gulf St Vincent, and parts of western Eyre Peninsula / eastern Great Australian Bight – see Baker, 2004, for a summary).

Research Requirements

Short-snout Hardyhead was not recognised as a separate species until recent decades, due to its superficial similarity to the young of the Pikehead Hardyhead K. esox (Ivantsoff, in Gomon et al., 1994). It is possible that the species has a broader range in S.A. than is recorded, and that when found, may be mistaken for K. esox (see below) or other hardyhead species. Some of the hardyhead species in southern Australia are very similar in appearance, even those in different genera. Surveys in shallow bays and estuaries are required to determine the distribution and relative abundance of this species in South Australia.
Verification of possible specimens at the South Australian Museum is required, including fishes in an unlabelled collection.

Other Information

Kestratherina, the genus to which this species belongs, contains only two members, both restricted to southern Australia (Ivantsoff, in Gomon et al., 1994).
K. brevirostris has been recorded in and around Churchill Marine National Park (MNP) and French Island MNP in Victoria (Plummer et al., 2003).