A central Queensland fish on the brink of extinction has been named among the planet’s 100 most endangered species.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has included the red-finned blue-eye on its crisis list.
It’s found only in the Great Artesian Basin springs of the Edgbaston Reserve near Longreach.
An introduced species called the mosquitofish has invaded the springs and is threatening the dwindling blue-eye.
The fish, which Australian authorities list as endangered, is one of four species found in Australia that have made the top 100 list.
The others are the underground orchid, found in Western Australia, the common sawfish found in Australian and other waters, and the Amsterdam Island albatross.
An ecologist from the Edgbaston Reserve has called on Australian authorities to trial captive populations of the blue-eye to help preserve it.
“We all need to work together because the future of the species remains in jeopardy,” Bush Heritage Australia ecologist Dr Adam Kerezsy said in a statement.
2012 Fairfax Media