Freshwater ecosystems worldwide are experiencing a period of unprecedented biodiversity loss. Effective biodiversity conservation requires accurate estimates of biodiversity and knowledge of species’ threat of extinction. The Kimberley region in remote north-west Australia, which now faces imminent expansion of mining and agricultural operations, is both a biodiversity hotspot and a black hole in scientific knowledge. At least 18 (~40%) of the region’s diverse freshwater fish species are found nowhere else and many of these endemics are extremely range-restricted. However, a dearth of surveys, and ecological and genetic studies means that current biodiversity estimates are not robust and the risk of extinction these species face is unknown.

This project will help to establish the true biodiversity of the Kimberley freshwater fishes and assess their extinction risk using a combination of molecular techniques and ecological analyses. Hypotheses on the causes of diversity in fish communities will be tested by constructing phylogenies for two of the regions major families (Terapontidae and Melanotaeniidae). Furthermore, microsatellite data will be used to assess gene flow, population connectivity, and population genetic structure within species to evaluate their extinction risk in the face of future impacts. Finally, reproductive and early life-history ecology will be investigated to assess their contribution to the range-restriction and evolution of the Kimberley’s endemic species. I will present my project ideas and design and the results of my phylogenetic analysis, which provides evidence for a sweet of undescribed freshwater fish species.