Aquatic ecosystems in central Australia: Comparison of recent records of fishes and invertebrates with those of the Horn Expedition

The records of aquatic fauna published by the Ham Expedition are valuable because in addition to providing an indication of species present prior to European settlement they comprised, until recently, almost all the published information available on the freshwater fauna of the region. Records were restricted to species of fishes, larger Crustacea, Mollusca and Coleoptera. Recent sampling in the George Gill Range in 1986 and the Finke River and the West MacDonnell Ranges in 1993/94, indicated that virtually all species recorded by the Expedition in central Australia are still present. This finding, together with the apparent absence of introduced or exotic species, suggests an aquatic fauna that has remained essentially intact for 100 years.