Description

Dorsal soft rays (total): 5 - 8; Anal soft rays: 7 - 10; Vertebrae: 34 - 38. Galaxiella toourtkoourt can be diagnosed from other congeners by following characters: caudal fin rays usually 13 (12-15); anal fin rays usually 8 (7-10); pectoral fin rays usually 12 (8-13); usually 36 (34-38) vertebrae; and 7 laterosensory pores in the preopercular-supramaxillary series. Adults very small (usually 2.06-3.06 cm SL in females; 1.67-2.40 cm SL in males); short caudal peduncle usually 19.6-21.9 % SL (17.2-23.8 % SL in females; 17.9-24.4 % SL in males); origin of dorsal fin more or less in line with anal fin (particularly females) with horizontal distance between dorsal fin and anal fin origins usually 0.0-2.7 % SL (2.5-2.8 in females; 2.6-3.9 in males). Adults possess three longitudinal black stripes (easier to discern in adult males) and reduced markings on ventral surface (typically two to three black blotches at isthmus) (Ref. 104902).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Galaxiiformes

Family: Galaxiidae

Genus: Galaxiella

Species: Galaxiella toourtkoourt Coleman & Raadik, 2015

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Facultative air-breathing in the genus (Ref. 126274); Occurs in swamps, wetlands, shallow lakes, billabongs, small creeks and artificial earthen drains at low elevation (mean 100 m above sea level, typically 22-176 m above sea level). Inhabits mostly shallow areas (mean maximum depth 1.1 m, typically 0.5-2.0 m), with still to low water velocities (or often backwaters in faster flowing conditions) and partial shading (mean 27 %, typically 5-50 % surface cover). Occasionally found in inland with slightly saline waters. Water quality measurements at the time of collection indicate this species can thrive in a broad range of conditions: water temperatures 5.2-26.9 °C; dissolved oxygen levels of 20-263 % saturation; pH of 5.3-9.3; water electrical conductivity of 94-13,620 μS/cm and turbidity of 1-96 NTU . Usually collected together with other native fish species, particularly Nannoperca australis (65 % frequency), Galaxias maculatus (12 % frequency), and burrowing crayfish (e.g. Engaeus spp., Geocharax spp.) (18 % frequency). Often found with introduced fish species Gambusia holbrooki (Ref. 104902).

Habitat

brackish