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Common galaxias
The common galaxias (Galaxias maculatus) or inanga (from the Māori īnanga or īnaka) is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Galaxiidae that is widespread in the Southern Hemisphere. It is migratory, living in fresh water but spawning at river mouths, spending the first six months of its life at sea, and returning en masse in spring. Its vernacular names include cowfish, jollytail, common jollytail, eel gudgeon, inaka, native trout, pulangi, puye, slippery tarki, spotted minnow, Falklands minnow and whitebait.
Common galaxias is a slim, narrow fish with a mottled, spotty pattern, iridescent silver eyes, undersides and gill covers, and some individuals have an iridescent green stripe along the top of their bodies which can be intermittently seen as they swim. Their specific name maculatus ("spotted") comes from the pattern of dark-mottled, leopard-like spots on an olive-brown background along their upper bodies. This pattern ranges from very subtle to quite bold. Common galaxias have slightly forked tails, unlike other most other galaxiids, which have square tails. Fully grown adults typically range from 8–11 cm (3.1–4.3 in) in length, with an average of 10 cm (4 in). The maximum reported length is 19 cm (7.5 in).
Common galaxias are one of the most widely distributed freshwater fish in the world. They inhabit Chile (35–55°S), Patagonia, Argentina, the Falkland Islands, some Pacific Islands such as New Caledonia, New Zealand, coastal streams in south-eastern Australia, Tasmania, and southwest Western Australia and numerous waterfilled cenotes and caves in south-eastern South Australia.
They are commonly found in small schools or shoals in slow-moving water, but can be more solitary in swifter streams. Adults are mainly found in still or slow-moving water in the lower parts of coastal streams and rivers, or around the edges of lagoons; they can tolerate a wide range of natural conditions. If oxygen levels are low as a result of eutrophication, they can jump out of the water (emerse) and take up oxygen through their skin as a last resort. A study by New Zealand's NIWA found that inanga have a high tolerance to turbid water, with an LC50 of between 17,500 to 21,000 NTU. They need access to riparian vegetation for spawning, and usually live in river systems with access to the sea, as their larval stage is marine. They tend to be found in lower-elevation streams as, unlike other species of Galaxias, they cannot climb past waterfalls.
Common galaxias can become land-locked (such as in five lakes in Northland, New Zealand), feeding and breeding in large beds of reeds.
This species is usually considered amphidromous, a particular type of diadromy meaning that reproduction occurs in fresh water and larval growth occurs in the sea.
Adult fish typically reach sexual maturity at one year and spawning is triggered by changes in day length and temperature. Unless landlocked within a lake, the common galaxias spawns mainly in autumn during spring tides in the tidally influenced reaches of rivers and streams but spawning in winter and spring has occurred. The eggs are laid en masse amongst flooded riparian vegetation by females. Male fish then release sperm into the water and the eggs are fertilised externally.
This type of spawning is called polygynandry. Eggs remain attached to the vegetation as the tide recedes. Two types of reproductive strategy occur: the most common is a 'boom bust' strategy whereby spawning occurs in one event and is followed by death (semelparity), or much more rarely spawning occurs in multiple years before death iteroparity.
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Common galaxias
The common galaxias (Galaxias maculatus) or inanga (from the Māori īnanga or īnaka) is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Galaxiidae that is widespread in the Southern Hemisphere. It is migratory, living in fresh water but spawning at river mouths, spending the first six months of its life at sea, and returning en masse in spring. Its vernacular names include cowfish, jollytail, common jollytail, eel gudgeon, inaka, native trout, pulangi, puye, slippery tarki, spotted minnow, Falklands minnow and whitebait.
Common galaxias is a slim, narrow fish with a mottled, spotty pattern, iridescent silver eyes, undersides and gill covers, and some individuals have an iridescent green stripe along the top of their bodies which can be intermittently seen as they swim. Their specific name maculatus ("spotted") comes from the pattern of dark-mottled, leopard-like spots on an olive-brown background along their upper bodies. This pattern ranges from very subtle to quite bold. Common galaxias have slightly forked tails, unlike other most other galaxiids, which have square tails. Fully grown adults typically range from 8–11 cm (3.1–4.3 in) in length, with an average of 10 cm (4 in). The maximum reported length is 19 cm (7.5 in).
Common galaxias are one of the most widely distributed freshwater fish in the world. They inhabit Chile (35–55°S), Patagonia, Argentina, the Falkland Islands, some Pacific Islands such as New Caledonia, New Zealand, coastal streams in south-eastern Australia, Tasmania, and southwest Western Australia and numerous waterfilled cenotes and caves in south-eastern South Australia.
They are commonly found in small schools or shoals in slow-moving water, but can be more solitary in swifter streams. Adults are mainly found in still or slow-moving water in the lower parts of coastal streams and rivers, or around the edges of lagoons; they can tolerate a wide range of natural conditions. If oxygen levels are low as a result of eutrophication, they can jump out of the water (emerse) and take up oxygen through their skin as a last resort. A study by New Zealand's NIWA found that inanga have a high tolerance to turbid water, with an LC50 of between 17,500 to 21,000 NTU. They need access to riparian vegetation for spawning, and usually live in river systems with access to the sea, as their larval stage is marine. They tend to be found in lower-elevation streams as, unlike other species of Galaxias, they cannot climb past waterfalls.
Common galaxias can become land-locked (such as in five lakes in Northland, New Zealand), feeding and breeding in large beds of reeds.
This species is usually considered amphidromous, a particular type of diadromy meaning that reproduction occurs in fresh water and larval growth occurs in the sea.
Adult fish typically reach sexual maturity at one year and spawning is triggered by changes in day length and temperature. Unless landlocked within a lake, the common galaxias spawns mainly in autumn during spring tides in the tidally influenced reaches of rivers and streams but spawning in winter and spring has occurred. The eggs are laid en masse amongst flooded riparian vegetation by females. Male fish then release sperm into the water and the eggs are fertilised externally.
This type of spawning is called polygynandry. Eggs remain attached to the vegetation as the tide recedes. Two types of reproductive strategy occur: the most common is a 'boom bust' strategy whereby spawning occurs in one event and is followed by death (semelparity), or much more rarely spawning occurs in multiple years before death iteroparity.