The lowland longjaw galaxias (''Galaxias cobitinis'') is a

galaxiid The Galaxiidae are a family of mostly small freshwater fish in the Southern Hemisphere. The majority live in Southern Australia or New Zealand, but some are found in South Africa, southern South America, Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia, and the ...

of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

Galaxias ''Galaxias'' is a genus of small freshwater fish in the family Galaxiidae, and are frequently referred to as the galaxiids. These highly adaptable fish are typically found at temperate latitudes across the Southern Hemisphere. Galaxiids are ...

'', found only in the South Island of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, in the Kauru River, a tributary of the Kakanui River in north Otago, and in parts of the upper Waitaki catchment. It grows to a length of up to 7 cm. Lowland longjaw galaxias are slender and elongate, having colouration consisting of spots and indistinct bands of various shades of brown and grey. The single

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal c ...

and anal fins are about two thirds of the way along the body. Like all galaxiids it lacks scales and has a thick, leathery skin covered with

mucus Mucus ( ) is a slippery aqueous secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is typically produced from cells found in mucous glands, although it may also originate from mixed glands, which contain both serous and mucous cells. It ...

. The lower jaw is forward of the upper.

Conservation status

In 2018 the

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

classified the lowland longjaw galaxias as Nationally Critical under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. It was judged as meeting the criteria for Nationally Critical threat status as a result of there being a population of less than 250 mature adults. The lowland longjaw galaxias is considered conservation dependent, existing in one location and suffering extreme fluctuations in population.

Notes

References

* * Dunn, N., & O'Brien, L. (2006)
"Gravel burrowing ability in ''Galaxias cobitinis''
DOC Research & Development Series 236, Department of Conservation, Wellington. * * McDowall, R. M., & Waters, J. M. (2003)
"A new species of ''Galaxias'' (Teleostei: Galaxiidae) from the Mackenzie Basin, New Zealand"
''Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand'', 33 (3): 675–691.

External links

Lowland longjaw galaxias
Department of Conservation, Wellington. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
Lowland Longjaw Galaxias
NIWA, 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2015. * Pham, La

intergalaxiid.com, University of Otago. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
NZ's rarest fish being given a fresh-water start
''Otago Daily Times'', 3 December 2009. Galaxias Endangered biota of New Zealand Endemic freshwater fish of New Zealand Taxa named by Bob McDowall Fish described in 2002 {{Osmeriformes-stub