Cooper Creek Catfishes

The Cooper Creek catfish (Neosiluroides cooperensis), also known as the Cooper Creek tandan, is a species of catfish (order Siluriformes) of the family Plotosidae, and is the only species of the genus Neosiluroides. The species’ scientific name Neosiluroides came from the genus Neosilurus to which the Cooper Creek Catfish bears some resemblance. The second part of its name, cooperensis, is a reference to the sole location of the species in the Cooper Creek Catchment. It is an eel-tailed freshwater fish that resides in the Cooper Creek system of the Lake Eyre drainage in southern Queensland, Australia. This species grows up to about 46 centimetres (18 in) SL.

It is usually found in larger, more permanent waterholes with an earth and clay substrate, where significant flow occurs only after severe rainfall events; at this time, water is typically very turbid. It is very aggressive towards other fishes, particularly in captivity. These fish feed on gastropods and crustaceans. This species has the largest egg size (3–4 millimetres or 0.12–0.16 inches and the lowest fecundity (about 1000 eggs per spawning) per unit length of any plotosid catfish in Australia.