Behavior and Habitat Affecting the Distribution of Five Species of Sympatric Mudskippers in Queensland

Four species of Periophthalmus, as well as Periophthalmodon schlosseri, inhabited a small mangrove swamp about Three Mile Creek, near Townsville, Queensland. The mudskippers are aggressive, intra- and interspecifically, with repertories of body and fin movements that allow them to establish dominance among individuals and between species. Pn. schlosseri has fixed burrows in the creek; the other species are distributed across the swamp where it is flooded tidally. Territoriality was not seen, but the species are separated behaviorally and by partition of the available space. Constructional activity has modified the drainage of the swamp so that between 1972 and 1976 one species of Periophthalmus appeared to have been eliminated, while Pn. schlosseri has increased in abundance, owing to habitat changes.