Pacific blue-eye

Pacific blue-eye

The Pacific blue-eye is a species of fish in the subfamily Pseudomugilinae native to eastern Australia. It comprises two subspecies that have been regarded as separate species in the past. It is a common fish of rivers and estuaries along the eastern seaboard from Cape York in north Queensland to southern New South Wales.

About Pacific blue-eye in brief

Summary Pacific blue-eyeThe Pacific blue-eye is a species of fish in the subfamily Pseudomugilinae native to eastern Australia. Described by Austrian naturalist Rudolf Kner in 1866, it comprises two subspecies that have been regarded as separate species in the past. It is a common fish of rivers and estuaries along the eastern seaboard from Cape York in north Queensland to southern New South Wales. A small silvery fish averaging around 3–3. 5 cm in total length, it is recognisable by its blue eye ring and two dorsal fins. It forms loose schools of tens to thousands of individuals. It eats water-borne insects as well as flying insects that land on the water’s surface, foraging for them by sight. Males can reach 8. 8 cm and females 6. 3 cm. The size of PacificBlue-eyes found north of the Burdekin Gap increases with distance from the gap, males and females being the same size. South of the gap the species exhibits marked size difference between sexes, which becomes more pronounced as the distance from gap increases.

The male has extended filaments on its dorsal fins and the male has a blue iris on its anal fins. There are two rays in the dorsal fins, the first arising in the posterior to the longest pectoral line with a silver or yellow or silver operculate body. The bottom and edges of the tail are partly transparent and pale yellow or yellow. The scales are relatively large and vertically longer than horizontally. There is a large black line at the base of the anal fins of the male with black markings at the anterior and posterior tips of the pelvic fins. The tail has rounded rounded rounded tips and is rounded at the bottom and edged at the top and edged with white edges. It can reach a total length of around 3-3.5 cm long; males can reach around 8.8 cm and females around 6.3 cm. The Pacific Blue-eye adapts readily to captivity.