Project Launch: Securing the Flinders Ranges Purple-spotted Gudgeon

It might be small, but the Flinders Ranges Purple-spotted Gudgeon (wirti udla varri) plays a big role in Australia's inland waterways - as the top aquatic predator it prevents domination by any one insect type and provides food for aquatic birds and makes our Flinders Ranges springs more diverse.

And if you're wondering... we're getting to know fish.

After our work with Tasmania's Red Handfish - a true oddball of the ocean - this gutsy native is the next squiatic species we're backing for survival.

So, let's hear it for the little legend.

The Flinders Ranges Purple-spotted Gudgeon might not be famous (yet), but it's a little Aussie battler, having survived in one location of permanent spring pools for tens of thousands of years as Australia's interior dried out.

That's why it's the newest focus of our Three Safer Havens project - creating secure strongholds for vulnerable species across South Australia's arid ranges.

FAME in partnership with the South Australian Department for Environment and Water, is proud to announce a new project to:

• Establish a new population at Wilpena Spring, building resilience against climate impacts

• Secure and restore habitat across known sites

• Monitor long-term recovery through science and community partnerships

See the field story so far: Purple Patch: Endangered Fish Rebounds

Once thought extinct in parts of South Australia, the Flinders Ranges Purple-spotted Gudgeon is now making a comeback - and with your help, we're giving this species a safer haven, and proving once again that even the smallest native creatures are worth fighting for.

Video Credit: South Australian Department for Environment and Water & Tali Moyle

Learn more about the project