%0 Journal Article %J Cybium %D 2017 %T Visual census, photographic records and the trial of a video network provide first evidence of the elusive Sicyopterus cynocephalus in Australia %A Ebner, Brendan C %A Donaldson, James %A Allen, Gerald %A Philippe Keith %K Australia %K Coastal stream %K Elusive species %K First record %K Gobiidae %K Sicyopterus cynocephalus %K Underwater video %K Visual census %X

Opportunistic encounters with an elusive large-bodied sicydiine goby in a single plunge pool led us to photograph and deploy three video cameras to detect individuals in that pool. Subsequently, a catchment-wide search indicated that the species, eventually identified as Sicyopterus cynocephalus, was confined to the single pool where it was originally detected. A network of ten video cameras was then deployed to estimate the number of individuals of that species and of a congener, S. lagocephalus, by non-destructive means. This study provides the first record of S. cynocephalus in Australia, and showcases the synergy of active snorkel searches and a remote camera network in counting individuals of two sympatric species of Sicyopterus.

%B Cybium %V 41 %P 117-125 %8 06/2017 %G eng %N 2