Ornate Galaxias

📖 Overview

Facultative air-breathing in the genus ; A freshwater fish that is unable to undertake diadromous migrations. Recorded from cool, well-shaded and clear-flowing, small upland creeks and moist gullies along mountain ranges (e.g. Dandenong Ranges, GDR, Otway Ranges), larger, forested foothill streams to larger rivers at lower elevation. The streams occupied usually range in size from 0.5-8.0 m in width (up to 20 m), with 0.05-0.30 m average depth, with pools 0.3 to > 1.2 m in depth, with a complex instream substrate ranging from clay and sand to bedrock, boulder and cobble. Instream cover usually relatively plentiful, consisting of rock, large and small timber debris, aquatic vegetation, and vegetation and bank overhang. It is also known from drier river systems, including ephemeral tributaries, to the north-west and west of Melbourne (e.g. Plenty, Maribyrnong, and Werribee rivers), where individuals are able to persist in small and large, isolated and sometimes stagnant pools. Also able to persist in small streams within upland catchments in the north-east of their range (e.g. upper Yarra River system) that are often covered by snow for varying periods of time during winter . It is usually recorded at densities up to 04-1.5 fish/m2 , though can be very abundant in isolated pools (up to 3.0 fish/m2). Recorded in sympatry with Galaxias brevipinnis, Galaxias maculatus, Galaxias truttaceus, and historically possibly with Galaxiella pusilla and Neochanna cleaveri .

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 12; Anal soft rays: 9 - 14; Vertebrae: 49 - 55. This species is one of the least morphologically specialised species in the Galaxias olidus complex, differing only slightly from the typical ‘olidus’ morphology, but it can be distinguished from all other species within the complex by the following set of characters (and careful comparison with the description of the other species): interorbital is usually convex, very wide (35.5-53.8 % HL); nostrils of moderate length, non-visible from ventral view; dorsal midline is usually flattened anteriorly from above the pelvic fin bases; caudal peduncle flanges are long, almost reaching anal fin base; length of caudal fin about same as that of caudal peduncle; anal fin origin usually under 0.63 distance posteriorly along the dorsal fin base; pyloric caecae 1-2 moderately long (2.3 % SL) and very occasionally absent; gill rakers are short to moderately long, stout and sharply pointed; no distinct black bars along lateral line .Cross section: compressed.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Ornate Galaxias is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Freshwater; benthopelagic; non-migratory; depth range 0 - 1 m . Subtropical

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

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