| Sleepy cod | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 51 cm sleepy cod caught in Queensland in 2018 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gobiiformes |
| Family: | Butidae |
| Genus: | Oxyeleotris |
| Species: | O. lineolata |
| Binomial name | |
| Oxyeleotris lineolata (Steindachner, 1867) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Thesleepy cod (Oxyeleotris lineolata) is a medium-sized fish in the familyButidae, native totropical fresh waters of northernAustralia and questionably fromNew Guinea. It is a member of the orderPerciformes, thus is unrelated to the true cods in the orderGadiformes. Neither are they closely related to the Australian freshwater cods such as theMurray cod of the genusMaccullochella.
They are one of the most favoured freshwater fish in Australia for eating, having white, flaky flesh, low fat content, and a mild flavour.
The sleepy cod can reach a length of 51 cm (20 in), though most do not exceed 20 cm (7.9 in).[1] Fish up to 3 kg (6.6 lb) have been caught by anglers.[2]
They are dark brown along the back and paler on the sides, with fuzzy dark lines running along scale rows.[2] Juveniles have a white or cream patch running along the back and top of the head, with brown sides and a white belly.[2]
Females spawn in thebenthic zone from October to February. Males guard nests of up to 70,000 eggs until larvae hatch, usually after 5–7 days.
They are usually found in quiet or slow-flowing water in freshwater rivers, creeks, andbillabongs throughout northern Australia.[2]
 | This orderGobiiformes (goby) related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
