Queensland Lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri)

Location The Queensland Lungfish is native only to the Burnett and Mary Rivers and their tributaries. Since the 1890s they have been transferred to other rivers and dams. Today they can also be found in the North Pine, Brisbane, Logan and Coomerah Rivers, Enoggera and Gold Creek Reservoirs, Lake Manchester and the Condamine River west of the Great Dividing Range. How viable the populations in these new habitats are is debatable. They are likely to be small and not expanding, and possibly vulnerable. Thus there is great concern with safeguarding the populations in the original habitats.

Description The Queensland Lungfish has a long, heavy body with large scales, small eyes and paddle-like pectoral and pelvic fins. Its dorsal fin starts midway along the back and is continuous with the caudal and anal fins; they appear as one big fin from halfway down the back to the tail. It is usually olive-green to brown on the back and sides with some scattered dark blotches, and whitish underneath. It is the fourth-largest Australian freshwater fish, growing up to a length of 1.8 m and a weight of 40 kg, but grows slowly, taking 15 years to reach maturity. It is long-lived; one lived in captivity for 50 years.

The Lungs Queensland Lungfishes have a single lung which is only used for breathing on rare occasions. Most breathing is done with gills, no differently from other fishes. In fact, if removed from water they will die within two days. The lungs appear to supplement the oxygen supplied by the gills in certain difficult situations, such as when levels of oxygen in the water are low during drought.

The Queensland Lungfish is fully protected and may not be captured without a special permit. It is also listed in Appendix 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Australia is a signatory to CITES and has strict regulations on the export of the Queensland Lungfish.

The greatest threat today comes from water use interventions in the Burnett basin, in the form of dams, weirs and barrages, and also the water level fluctuation and habitat change caused by them. They are regarded as a species at risk because their habitat is now so restricted and their fecundity is so low. They are further at risk because they have no protection from agricultural chemical run- off into the water, and because alterations to their habitat have an unknown influence on the population