''Galaxias tantangara'', the stocky galaxias, 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 ...

'', a member of the

Mountain Galaxias ''Galaxias olidus'', the mountain galaxias, is a species of freshwater galaxiid fish widely found in southeastern Australia. Description As for other members of the species complex, although ''Galaxias olidus'' exhibits a greater range of charac ...

species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

group of freshwater fish, found in Australia. Only discovered in 2014, the fish is classed as critically endangered, mainly because of being preyed upon by introduced species of

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

Description

As for other members of the species complex with a long tubular body which is distinctly stocky, particularly between the vent and the pectoral fins. Tail fin generally as long or slightly longer than the

caudal peduncle Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as see ...

with a square or slightly notched end. Flanges on the caudal peduncle are long, extending almost half way to the anal fin. Centreline fins are somewhat fleshy at the base, paired fins less so. Fins generally rounded and paired fins set low on the body. Medium sized head, wider than deep, top of head between the eyes flat to slightly convex with the eyes well below the upper surface of the head. Mouth has a wide gape with the lower jaw being about 80-90 percent of the upper jaw length. Length up to , commonly . Colour mostly dark olive-brown on the back and sides above the lateral line with the sides of the body in front of the anal fin becoming lighter and cream on the belly surfaces. Base colour overlain with many small dark markings joining into small to medium irregular blotches especially over the head and snout. Gill covers translucent and dusky; iris golden; fins translucent.

Distribution

The fish was first discovered in Australia in 2014, within the Kosciuszko National Park. It was reported only from the headwaters of Tantangara Creek above Tantangara Reservoir in the upper

Murrumbidgee River The Murrumbidgee River () is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, desce ...

system at an elevation of , and found only above a minor waterfall below which alien trout are present. They were restricted to about of stream between the waterfall and the streams source at . In late 2020, a second population was discovered at a second location, also in Kosciuszko National Park.

Habitat

''Galaxias tantangara'' is found in a cold, clear, and rapidly flowing alpine creek which flows through open Eucalypt forest with small shrubs and tussock grasses and is often covered with winter snow. The creek is about wide and deep with pools around deep. Stream bed consists of bedrock and large to small rounded stones with some pebbles, gravel, and areas of

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel ...

. Cover is mostly provided by rock, undercut banks, overhanging vegetation and pools. The fish is able to withstand very cold water, below .

Life cycle

The stocky galaxias is confined to freshwater, with no downstream migration to the sea or estuary during its life cycle. The spawning period is unknown, but likely to be in winter. Fish collected in mid-March showed some development of the gonads (filling around 50 percent of the body cavity), with one male and one female almost running ripe and the gonads filling 75 percent of the body cavity.

Conservation status and measures

The stocky galaxias is classed as critically endangered by the IUCN as well as in Australia under the federal

EPBC Act The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cultu ...

and the ''Fisheries Management Act 1994'' in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. there is no recovery or threat abatement plan for the fish in Australia. A small team of scientists at the

Thurgoona Thurgoona is an outer suburb of the regional city of Albury in southern New South Wales, Australia. The suburb is located in the City of Albury local government area. History Thurgoona Post Office opened on 1 January 1874, closing in 1961. ...

campus of

Charles Sturt University Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus public university located in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. Established in 1989, it was named in honour of Captain Charles Napier Sturt, a British explore ...

(CSU) in

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

have been working on a captive breeding project since 2020, after the 2019–2020 bushfires burned in Kosciuszko National Park. Rescuers relocated 142 fish from Tantangara Creek first to a DPI Fisheries hatchery at Gaden in

Jindabyne Jindabyne () is a town in south-east New South Wales, Australia that overlooks Lake Jindabyne near the Snowy Mountains, in Snowy Monaro Regional Council. It is a popular holiday destination year round, especially in winter. This is due to its ...

, and later 36 of them were taken to the Gulbali Institute at CSU. After several years of painstaking work involving fertilisation in a petri dish, the team managed to breed larvae in captivity in early 2023, and planned to translocate some of these to a new location in the wild at the end of March.

Utility to humans

Not an angling target due to small size and conservation status.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q85762546 Galaxias Taxa named by Tarmo Ain Raadik Fish described in 2014 Freshwater fish of Australia