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8043676 
Journal Article 
SPAWNING OF THE ENDANGERED AUSTRALIAN LUNGFISH (NEOCERATODUS FORSTERI) IN A HEAVILY REGULATED RIVER: A PULSE FOR LIFE 
Espinoza, T; Marshall, SM; Mcdougall, AJ 
2013 
1 
River Research and Applications
ISSN: 1535-1459
EISSN: 1535-1467 
29 
10 
1215-1225 
WOS:000328420900002 
The Australian lungfish is an endangered native species currently protected under various state, federal and international agreements. Scarce information on their early life history is available due to the absence of juveniles collected in the wild. This has led to concerns about the sustainability of the species and become a driver for the conservation effort for Australian lungfish. This study aimed to consolidate knowledge on the critical hydraulic habitat requirements of this species within a water resource management context. In this study, spawning of Australian lungfish was found to be a seasonal strategy that is highly reliant on a variable low-flow regime within riverine habitat. Suitable conditions for spawning were characterized by small flow events in early-to-mid spring when water temperatures are between 18 and 28 degrees C, leading to oviposition on short dense macrophytes in shallow water. Importantly, many of the key environmental factors driving the ecological response are manageable through existing water resource infrastructure. Specifically, releases from water storages within the current distribution of Australian lungfish should mimic the natural inflow and temperature regime within the spawning period, and also provide suitable riverine habitat within projected full supply limits. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 
endangered; lungfish; flow management; environmental flows; low flow; flow variability; enhanced spawning