The Galaxiidae are a family of mostly small freshwater fish in the Southern Hemisphere. The majority live in Southern Australia or New Zealand, but some are found in South Africa, southern South America, Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia, and the Falkland Islands. One galaxiid species, the common galaxias, is probably the most widely naturally distributed freshwater fish in the Southern Hemisphere. They are coolwater species, found in temperate latitudes, with only one species known from subtropical habitats. Many specialise in living in cold, high-altitude upland rivers, streams, and lakes.
The climbing galaxias or kōaro is a fish of the family Galaxiidae found in Australia, New Zealand, and nearby islands. The name climbing galaxias is used in Australia, and koaro or kōaro in New Zealand. Further vernacular names include short-finned galaxias, broad-finned galaxias, Cox's mountain galaxias, and Pieman galaxias.
The common galaxias or inanga is a very widespread Southern Hemisphere fish in the family Galaxiidae. It is slim, narrow fish with a forked tail and a mottled, spotty pattern, typically about 10 cm (4 in) long when fully grown. It lives in fresh water, but spawns at river mouths and spends the first six months of its life at sea, returning en masse in spring. Its vernacular names include cowfish, jollytail, common jollytail, eel gudgeon, inaka, native trout, pulangi, puye, slippery tarki, spotted minnow and whitebait.
The Chatham mudfish, formerly known as the Chathams galaxias, is a galaxiid fish endemic to two small, peaty lakes in southern Chatham Island, New Zealand.
The Canterbury mudfish, also known as the kowaro, is found only on the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand. Like other Neochanna species, it is a small, tubular and flexible fish which lacks scales. They are able to survive out of water in damp refuges if its wetland habitat dries out periodically over summer.
The brown mudfish is a galaxiid endemic to New Zealand. The species is found in wetlands in the southwest of the North Island and the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. It commonly grows to 100–130 mm in length, and it can live to at least 7 years. They are named for their brown color.
The banded kōkopu is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, found only in New Zealand, including the Chatham and Stewart/Rakiura islands. It commonly grows to 20–25 cm, but has been recorded growing to around 30 cm. Juvenile banded kōkopu are good climbers and can climb up waterfalls and other vertical surfaces by moving into the splash zone and wriggling up the surface, using the water surface tension and their large downturned fins for grip.
The shortjaw kōkopu is a galaxiid fish, endemic to New Zealand. They are large, scaleless fish which inhabit stable pools in cascading, bouldery streams with forest cover. Shortjaw kōkopu are amphidromous, with the fry going to sea after hatching, and returning as juveniles to fresh water where they grow to adulthood. They may grow to a maximum of 350 mm (14 in) in total length, but more commonly reach 150–200 mm (5.9–7.9 in).
The giant kōkopu is a threatened species of ray-finned fish in the genus Galaxias, found only in New Zealand. It can reach up to 58 cm (23 in) in length and 2.7 kg (6.0 lb) in weight, making it the largest species in the family Galaxiidae. It is a mainly lowland species, commonly found in slow-flowing streams, wetlands, lakes, and lagoons. Most populations have an amphidromous life cycle, with larvae going to sea soon after hatching and returning about four months later as small juveniles, 4.5–5 cm (1.8–2.0 in). Juvenile giant kōkopu form a small part of the annual whitebait catch.
The lowland longjaw galaxias is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, found only in the South Island of New Zealand, in the Kauru River, a tributary of the Kakanui River in north Otago, and in parts of the upper Waitaki catchment. It grows to a length of up to 7 cm.
Eldon's galaxias is an endangered galaxiid fish endemic to New Zealand. One of several fishes in the genus Galaxias found in Central Otago, it has a very small home range and is at risk of being driven to extinction by trout introduced for recreational fishing.
The common river galaxias or Canterbury galaxias is a galaxiid fish of the genus Galaxias, found only in Canterbury, New Zealand.
The New Zealand grayling is an extinct species of fish which was endemic to New Zealand. The New Zealand grayling, was known by the Māori people by many names including pokororo, paneroro, kanae-kura, however, the most common being Upokororo. The variety of names for the fish came from either other tribes or to describe the fish at different periods of its life cycle. Even though this fish is named grayling, it is not related to European or American graylings and lacks the large dorsal fin ‘typical’ graylings are characterised by, however, is closely related to the Australian grayling. The New Zealand grayling was an amphidromous species, migrating between freshwater and saltwater during different seasons as well as stages in their life cycle. The species was abundant during the 19th century, however, the population decreased during the early 1900s with the last known sighting of the fish in 1923.
Parioglossus marginalis, also known as the blackmargin dartfish, is a species of dartfish native to the brackish waters of the coast of New South Wales, Australia and around the northern part of the North Island and Great Barrier Island in New Zealand, This species may be an introduced species in New Zealand, being brought from Australia in ship's ballast water. This species can reach a length of 3.3 centimetres (1.3 in) SL. It is thought by some workers that Parioglossus neoclaedonicus from New Caledonia may be a synonym of P. marginalis and that the Caroline Islands species Parioglossus verticalis, which is known form just a single specimen, may also be synonymous with this species. To resolve these taxonomic uncertainties molecular studies will be required.
The giant bully, tītarakura, or tīpokopoko (Māori), is a species of fish in the family Eleotridae endemic to New Zealand. This is the largest species of bully and it can reach more than 25 cm (10 in) in length, but most are 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in). Adults are generally found near the coast in freshwater, tidal or estuarine habitats. The breeding behavior is poorly known, but the species is considered diadromous and it is suspected that the larvae spend time in the sea.
The Tarndale bully is a fish in the family Eleotridae endemic to New Zealand, where it is found only in the Tarndale Lakes.
Galaxias is a genus of small, highly successful freshwater fish in the family Galaxiidae. They are typically found at temperate latitudes across the Southern Hemisphere and are frequently referred to as galaxiids.
Whitebait is a collective term for the immature fry of fish, typically between 25 and 50 millimetres long. Such young fish often travel together in schools along the coast, and move into estuaries and sometimes up rivers where they can be easily caught with fine meshed fishing nets. Whitebaiting is the activity of catching whitebait.
G. gracilis may refer to:
Galaxias supremus, the Kosciuszko galaxias, is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, a member of the Mountain Galaxias species complex group of freshwater fish, found in Australia.
