Balston’s Pygmy Perch

Interesting Info

• The Balston’s Pygmy Perch is found only in the far southwest corner of Western Australia, making it a true local treasure..
• Despite their size, they are striking fish, with golden-brown bodies covered in speckles, and males sometimes show reddish or orange hues during the breeding season.
• They live in clear, tannin-stained streams, wetlands, and swamps surrounded by paperbark and banksia woodlands. These habitats are typically shallow, soft-bottomed, and packed with aquatic vegetation.
• Balston’s Pygmy Perch are very sensitive to changes in water quality, especially salinity and acidity, which is one reason they are considered vulnerable.
• Their diet consists mainly of tiny aquatic insects, larvae, and small crustaceans they pick from the water column and plant surfaces.
• Breeding takes place in spring and early summer when rising water temperatures and increased daylight trigger spawning. Females scatter small batches of eggs among submerged plants, where they stick and develop.
• The young hatchlings are only a few millimeters long and must hide among dense weeds to avoid being eaten.
• They are shy fish and spend much of their time hovering in small groups among vegetation, darting quickly if disturbed.
• Their total distribution is very restricted, found only in isolated wetlands and streams between Bunbury and Albany.
• They are considered a “sentinel species” for wetland health — if Balston’s Pygmy Perch are thriving, the ecosystem is in good shape.
• Their lifespan is short, usually 2–3 years, which means populations need to reproduce successfully each year to survive.