Description

Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 10; Anal soft rays: 9 - 11; Vertebrae: 52 - 55. This species is distinguished from all other species of the Galaxias olidus complex by the following set of characters: dorsal fin set far back (pre-dorsal fin length about 70.4-74.1 % SL); the long distance between pectoral and pelvic fin bases (30.8-33.8 % SL); caudal fin is shorter than caudal peduncle length and vertical width of expanded caudal fin rays about the same as the body depth through the pectoral fin base; caudal peduncle flanges just reaching adpressed anal fin rays; short head (20.0-20.7 % SL), distinctly shorter than pelvic fin to anal fin length distance, but wide (66.2-71.2 % HL) and deep (44.2-49.9 % SL); snout long (29.2-32.0 % HL); nostrils are short and not visible from ventral view; eye relatively small (16.6-17.8 % HL); inter-orbital gap broad (39.2-41.2 % HL); most posterior extent of mouth usually 0.8 eye diameter below ventral margin of eye; dorsal and anal fin bases are short (8.3-10.1 and 8.8-10.7 % SL), with anal fin length/length of anal fin base ratio high (147-163 %); anal fin origin usually under 0.74 distance posteriorly along dorsal fin base; anal fin segmented ray count often 10; gill rakers are moderately long and usually pointed; usually 1, sometimes 2 stout and wide pyloric caecae of moderate length (2.0 % SL); absence of black midlateral bars (Ref. 98815).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Galaxiiformes

Family: Galaxiidae

Genus: Galaxias

Species: Galaxias gunaikurnai Raadik, 2014

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Facultative air-breathing in the genus (Ref. 126274); A freshwater fish not able to undertake diadromous migrations. In 2002, it was recorded from a small (0.6-1.4 m average width and 0.15-0.20 m in average depth), cool, clear, alpine creek, flowing through a grassy plain, consisting of pools, glides and riffles, with smaller amounts of small cascades, and with very little shading except that provided by grasses. During the winter the catchment is usually covered by snow for varying periods of time. Substrate consisted of bedrock, boulder and cobble, with smaller amounts of pebble, gravel and coarse sand. The instream cover was provided mainly by rock and from bank and vegetation (alpine grasses) overhang, and pools averaged 0.5 m in depth. Recorded densities of 0.05-0.18 fish/m2 and it is the only native fish species so far recorded from within its range (Ref. 98815).

Habitat

benthopelagic