Craterocephalus dalhousiensis Ivantsoff & Glover, 1974
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Dalhousie hardyhead (Craterocephalus dalhousiensis) is a species of silverside in the family Atherinidae. It is endemic to the warm waters of Dalhousie Springs in the Lake Eyre basin, Australia, along with the similar Craterocephalus gloveri. It inhabits shady areas in tropical freshwater streams at 20-39 °C, but has been recorded at 41.8 °C. Its food consists of gastropods, aquatic plants, green filamentous algae, detritus and small invertebrates; food is mainly taken from the substrate.
The species is generally golden brown with a darker brown back. A dark midlateral band runs from the snout to the base of the caudal fin. Two to three rows of pigmented scales form discontinuous lines below the midlateral band. It is the only species in the genus Craterocephalus known to be sexually dimorphic. Adult males are smaller and exhibit a rounded belly compared to the flattened belly of females. Males also lack the forehead concavity exhibited by females.
As of July 2024, it is listed as critically endangered under the EBPC Act.
Wikipedia contributors, Dalhousie hardyhead; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:25:44.084462+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Craterocephalus dalhousiensis Ivantsoff & Glover, 1974
- Name authority
- Ivantsoff & Glover, 1974
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Atheriniformes
- Family
- Craterocephalidae
- Genus
- Craterocephalus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderAtheriniformes
- suborderAtherinoidei
- familyCraterocephalidae Dyer & Chernoff, 1996
- subfamilyCraterocephalinae Dyer & Chernoff, 1996
- genusCraterocephalus McCulloch, 1912
- speciesCraterocephalus dalhousiensis Ivantsoff & Glover, 1974
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Craterocephalus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Craterocephalus fluviatilis McCulloch, 1912 | CraterocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Craterocephalus amniculus Crowley & Ivantsoff, 1990 | CraterocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Craterocephalus cuneiceps Whitley, 1944 | CraterocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Craterocephalus honoriae (Ogilby, 1912) | CraterocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Craterocephalus kailolae Ivantsoff, Crowley & Allen, 1987 | CraterocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Craterocephalus laisapi Larson, Ivantsoff & Crowley, 2005 | CraterocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Craterocephalus lentiginosus Ivantsoff, Crowley & Allen, 1987 | CraterocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Craterocephalus munroi Crowley & Ivantsoff, 1988 | CraterocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum (Günther, 1867) | CraterocephalidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Ivantsoff, W., & Glover, C. J. M. (1974). Craterocephalus dalhousiensis n. sp., a sexually dimorphic freshwater teleost (Atherinidae) from South Australia. Australian Zoologist, 18 (pt 2): 88–98. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:Z8Y5. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.