ELECTROPHORETIC EVIDENCE FOR THE PRESENCE OF THE UNDESCRIBED BELLINGER-CATFISH (TANDANUS SP) (TELEOSTEI, PLOTOSIDAE) IN 4 NEW-SOUTH-WALES MID-NORTHERN COASTAL RIVERS

Genetic data were collected from eight allopatric populations of the c ommon freshwater catfish, Tandanus tandanus. Catfish sampled from the New South Wales (NSW) mid-northern coastal rivers of the Bellinger, Ma cleay, Hastings and Manning exhibited fixed allelic differences from T . tandanus from the type locality (Namoi River) at four enzymatic loci (GPl-1, EST*, UMB-1* and UMB-2*), suggesting that, collectively, cat fish from these four river systems constitute an undescribed species o f Tandanus. Catfish from the northern coastal rivers of NSW (Tweed, Ri chmond and Clarence) displayed a complex pattern of population structu re that was not fully resolved by the present study. More work is need ed on the complex assemblage of populations of eel-tailed catfish in t he eastern coastal drainages of Australia.