Galaxiid

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.

Species

Genus Aplochiton
- Aplochiton taeniatus Jenyns, 1842
- Aplochiton zebra Jenyns, 1842
Genus Brachygalaxias
- Brachygalaxias bullocki (Regan, 1908)
- Brachygalaxias gothei Busse, 1982
Genus Galaxias
- Roundhead galaxias, Galaxias anomalus Stokell, 1959
- Giant kokopu, Galaxias argenteus (Gmelin, 1789)
- Golden galaxias, Galaxias auratus Johnston, 1883
- Climbing or short-fin galaxias or Koaro (NZ) Galaxias brevipinnis Günther, 1866
- Lowland longjawed galaxias, Galaxias cobitinis McDowall & Waters, 2002
- Flathead galaxias (Australia), Galaxias rostratus Klunzinger, 1872
- Flathead galaxias (New Zealand), Galaxias depressiceps McDowall & Wallis, 1996
- Dwarf galaxias, Galaxias divergens Stokell, 1959
- Eldons galaxias, Galaxias eldoni McDowall, 1997
- Banded kokopu, Galaxias fasciatus Gray, 1842
- Swan galaxias, Galaxias fontanus Fulton, 1978
- Brown galaxias or barred galaxias, Galaxias fuscus Mack, 1936
- Galaxias globiceps Eigenmann, 1928
- Gollum galaxias, Galaxias gollumoides McDowall & Chadderton, 1999
- Dwarf inanga, Galaxias gracilis McDowall, 1967
- Clarence galaxias, Galaxias johnstoni Scott, 1936
- Inanga, common galaxias, common jollytail or puyen, Galaxias maculatus (Jenyns, 1842)
- Galaxias neocaledonicus Weber & de Beaufort, 1913
- Galaxias niger Andrews, 1985
- Western minnow, Galaxias occidentalis Ogilby, 1899
- Galaxias olidus Günther, 1866
- Small pedder galaxias, Galaxias parvus Frankenberg, 1968
- Alpine galaxias, Galaxias paucispondylus Stokell, 1938
- Pedder galaxias, Galaxias pedderensis Frankenberg, 1968
- Galaxias platei Steindachner, 1898
- Shortjaw kokopu, Galaxias postvectis Clarke, 1899
- Longjawed galaxias, Galaxias prognathus Stokell, 1940
- Dusky galaxias, Galaxias pullus McDowall, 1997
- Saddled galaxias, Galaxias tanycephalus Fulton, 1978
- Spotted mountain trout, Galaxias truttaceus Valenciennes, 1846
- Spotted mountain trout, Galaxias truttaceus Whitley, 1944
- Common river galaxias or Canterbury galaxias, Galaxias vulgaris Stokell, 1949
- Cape galaxias, Galaxias zebratus (Castelnau, 1861)
Genus Galaxiella
- Mud minnow, Galaxiella munda McDowall, 1978
- Black-stripe minnow, Galaxiella nigrostriata (Shipway, 1953)
- Dwarf galaxias (Australia), Galaxiella pusilla (Mack, 1936)
Genus Lovettia
- Tasmanian whitebait, Lovettia sealii (Johnston, 1883)
Genus Neochanna
- Brown mudfish, Neochanna apoda Günther, 1867
- Canterbury mudfish, Neochanna burrowsius (Phillipps, 1926)
- Tasmanian mudfish, Neochanna cleaveri (Scott, 1934)
- Black mudfish, Neochanna diversus Stokell, 1949
- Northland mudfish, Neochanna heleios Ling & Gleeson, 2001
- Chatham mudfish, Neochanna rekohua Mitchell, 1995
Genus Paragalaxias
- Paragalaxias dissimilis (Regan, 1906)
- Great Lake Darter, Paragalaxias eleotroides McDowall & Fulton, 1978
- Paragalaxias julianus McDowall & Fulton, 1978
- Arthurs paragalaxias, Paragalaxias mesotes McDowall & Fulton, 1978

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.

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:

South East Australian Mainland

Threatened species are:

Barred galaxias, Galaxias fuscus (Victoria)
Dwarf galaxias (Australia), Galaxiella pusilla (South Australia, Victoria)
Tasmanian mudfish, Neochanna cleaveri (Wilson's Promontory, Victoria)

Western Australian Galaxiid

Tasmanian Galaxiid

15 species of Galaxiid have been found in Tasmania. The most common species are:

While endangered species are:

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:

South American Galaxiid

Puyen, Galaxias maculatus (Chile and Argentina)

Osmeriformes | New Zealand freshwater fish | Fish of Australia

Galaxien (Fische)

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