Mountain galaxias (species complex)

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Mountain galaxias
Galaxias olidus.jpg
Galaxias olidus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Galaxiiformes
Family: Galaxiidae
Genus: Galaxias
Species complex: Mountain galaxias

The mountain galaxias is a species complex of freshwater galaxiid fish found all over southeast Australia. [1] [2]

Contents

Species complex

Recent studies have identified fifteen species within the complex including three previously known species (shown in this list by ) [2]

Range

Range of the mountain Galaxias species complex Mountain-galaxias-species-complex-dist.jpg
Range of the mountain Galaxias species complex

Mountain galaxias occupies a vast geographical range from southern Queensland to the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, and while occurring widely in the Murray-Darling river system, are also found in eastern and southern coastal systems. How much of their coastal distribution is due to natural river capture events (although it is certain much of it is) and how much of it may be due to migration is not clear, for many mountain galaxias species have the ability to "climb" natural migration barriers with modified pelvic fin structures. [2] [3] Individual species within the complex have ranges varying from across almost the entire range of the complex itself down to extremely restricted ranges within a single or only a very small number of catchments. [2]

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Galaxias olidus, the mountain galaxias, is a species of freshwater galaxiid fish widely found in southeastern Australia.

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Galaxias aequipinnis, the East Gippsland galaxias, is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, a member of the Mountain galaxias species complex group of freshwater fish, found in Australia.

Galaxias arcanus, the riffle galaxias, is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, a member of the Mountain Galaxias species complex group of freshwater fish, found in Australia.

Galaxias brevissimus, the short-tail galaxias, is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, a member of the Mountain Galaxias species complex group of freshwater fish, found in Australia.

Galaxias gunaikurnai, the Shaw galaxias, is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, a member of the Mountain Galaxias species complex group of freshwater fish, found in Australia.

Galaxias lanceolatus, the tapered galaxias, is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, a member of the Mountain Galaxias species complex group of freshwater fish, found in Australia.

Galaxias longifundus, the West Gippsland galaxias, is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, a member of the Mountain Galaxias species complex group of freshwater fish, found in Australia.

Galaxias mcdowalli, McDowall's galaxias, is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, a member of the Mountain Galaxias species complex group of freshwater fish, found in Australia.

Galaxias mungadhan, the Dargo galaxias, is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, a member of the Mountain Galaxias species complex group of freshwater fish, found in Victoria, Australia.

Galaxias oliros, the obscure galaxias, is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, a member of the Mountain Galaxias species complex group of freshwater fish, found in Australia.

Galaxias ornatus, the ornate galaxias, is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, a member of the Mountain Galaxias species complex group of freshwater fish, found in Australia.

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.

Galaxias tantangara, the stocky galaxias, is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, a member of the Mountain Galaxias species complex group of freshwater fish, found in Australia. Only discovered in 2014, the fish is classed as critically endangered, mainly because of being preyed upon by introduced species of trout.

Galaxias terenasus, the roundsnout galaxias, is a galaxiid of the genus Galaxias, a member of the Mountain Galaxias species complex group of freshwater fish, found in Australia.

References

  1. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2014). "Galaxias olidus" in FishBase. 11 2014 version.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Raadik, T.A. (2014). "Fifteen from one: a revision of the Galaxias olidus Günther, 1866 complex (Teleostei, Galaxiidae) in south-eastern Australia recognises three previously described taxa and describes 12 new species" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3898 (1): 1–198. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3898.1.1. PMID   25543673 . Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  3. McDowall R.M. (2006). "Crying wolf, crying foul, or crying shame: alien salmonids and a biodiversity crisis in the southern cool-temperate galaxioid fishes?". Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries. 16 (3–4): 233–422. doi:10.1007/s11160-006-9017-7. S2CID   11504101.