Neosiluroides cooperensis, Cooper Creek Catfish

Neosiluroides cooperensis is cryptic and naturally rare. It is endemic to the Cooper Creek system of the Lake Eyre Drainage Basin and is currently known from a total of 38 localities. This species occupies a total area (AOO) of approximately 128 km2, nearly all of which is permanent riverine refugia (waterholes). Under a conservative climate scenario waterhole persistence is predicted to decrease by up to 30%. Furthermore, N. cooperensis is potentially threatened by the translocated predatory Oxyeleotris lineolata (Sleepy Cod), which has colonised many refugial waterholes of Cooper Creek. Oxyeleotris lineolata is considered to be a serious conservation risk outside of its natural range, and it is highly probable the two species interact during periods of extended waterhole drying. These risks will continue into the future given that eradication of O. lineolata from Cooper Creek is highly unlikely. The threat from O. lineolata is likely to spread across the whole distributional range of N. cooperensis following large flows, representing a single location for N. cooperensis. Neosiluroides cooperensis is therefore listed as Endangered.