Galaxiid
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Galaxiidae |
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A mountain galaxias.
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Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
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See text for genera. |
The Galaxiids are a family of mostly small freshwater fish. Representatives occur throughout the southern hemisphere, including South Africa, South America, New Zealand, Australia, Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia and the Falkland Islands. One species of galaxiid, Galaxias maculatus is probably the most widely naturally distributed freshwater fish in the world.
Some Galaxiids live in freshwater all their lives but many include a marine cycle for the formation of their juveniles whereby larvae are hatched in a river but are washed downstream to the ocean where they develop and return to rivers as juveniles and further develop and remain as adults.
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[edit] Genera
- Genus Aplochiton
- Genus Brachygalaxias
- Genus Galaxias
- Genus Galaxiella
- Genus Lovettia
- Genus Neochanna
- Genus Paragalaxias
[edit] Fishing
The juveniles of those galaxiid that develop in the ocean and then move into rivers for their adult life are caught as whitebait while moving upstream and are much valued as a delicacy.
Adult galaxiids may be caught for food but they are generally not large and their exploitation is usually controlled (Australia) or banned (New Zealand) unless available to indigenous tribes.
[edit] Australian Galaxiid
Galaxiid are found around the south eastern seaboard of Australia and in some parts of south western Australia. Species that are common to all areas are:
- Common galaxias or Jollytail galaxias, Galaxias maculatus
- Spotted galaxias, Spotted mountain trout, or Spotted minnow, Galaxias truttaceus
[edit] South East Australian Mainland
- Climbing galaxias, Galaxias brevipinnis
- Mountain galaxias, Galaxias olidus
- Flathead galaxias (Australia), Galaxias rostratus
Threatened species are:
- Barred galaxias, Galaxias fuscus (Victoria)
- Dwarf galaxias (Australia), Galaxiella pusilla (South Australia, Victoria)
- Tasmanian mudfish, Neochanna cleaveri (Wilson's Promontory, Victoria)
[edit] Western Australian Galaxiid
- Western galaxias, Galaxias occidentalis
- Mud minnow, Galaxiella munda
- Black-stripe minnow, Galaxiella nigrostriata
[edit] Tasmanian Galaxiid
15 species of Galaxiid have been found in Tasmania. The most common species are:
While endangered species are:
- Saddled galaxias, Galaxias tanycephalus
- Pedder galaxias, Galaxias pedderensis
- Swan galaxias, Galaxias fontanus
- Swamp galaxias, Galaxias parvus
- Golden galaxias, Galaxias auratus
- Dwarf galaxias (Australia), Galaxiella pusilla
- Clarence galaxias, Galaxias johnstoni
- Tasmanian mudfish, Neochanna cleaveri
- Western paragalaxias, Paragalaxias julianus
- Great Lake paragalaxias, Paragalaxias eleotroides
- Arthurs paragalaxias, Paragalaxias mesotes
- Shannon paragalaxias, Paragalaxias dissimilis
[edit] New Zealand Galaxiid
19 species of galaxiid have been discovered in New Zealand. Most of these live in freshwater all their lives. However, the larvae of some species develop in the ocean where they form part of the plankton and return to rivers as juveniles where they develop and remain as adults.
Galaxiids in New Zealand are:
- Roundhead galaxias, Galaxias anomalus
- Giant kokopu, Galaxias argenteus
- Koaro or short-fin galaxias, Galaxias brevipinnis
- Lowland longjawed galaxias, Galaxias cobitinis
- Flathead galaxias, Galaxias depressiceps
- Dwarf galaxias, Galaxias divergens
- Eldons galaxias, Galaxias eldoni
- Banded kokopu, Galaxias fasciatus
- Gollum galaxias, Galaxias gollumoides
- Dwarf inanga, Galaxias gracilis
- Inanga, common galaxias or common jollytail, Galaxias maculatus
- Alpine galaxias, Galaxias paucispondylus
- Shortjaw kokopu, Galaxias postvectis
- Longjawed galaxias, Galaxias prognathus
- Dusky galaxias, Galaxias pullus
- Common river galaxias or Canterbury galaxias, Galaxias vulgaris
- Brown mudfish, Neochanna apoda
- Canterbury mudfish, Neochanna burrowsius
- Black mudfish, Neochanna diversus
- Northland mudfish, Neochanna heleios
- Chatham mudfish, Neochanna rekohua
[edit] South American Galaxiid
- Puyen, Galaxias maculatus (Chile and Argentina)
[edit] South African Galaxiid
- Cape galaxias, Galaxias zebratus (Cape Province, South Africa)