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identificationA large, stout-bodied, scaleless fish with a longish head and large mouth reaching back to below the front of the eyes. Maximum size > 200 mm; usually 120–140 mm. The anal fin is positioned directly below or slightly behind the dorsal fin, and the tail is slightly forked. The dorsal, anal and caudal fins are golden to orange, with a dark rear fringe. The back is a brownish to deep-olive, fading to brownish-grey on the sides and silvery on the belly. Large, round purplish spots are present on the upper sides and back, each surrounded by a lighter halo. There is a distinct dark diagonal stripe extending down from the bottom of the eye.

Biology and habitatIn its natural lowland coastal habitats, the Spotted galaxias favours cover such as logs, boulders and overhung banks on the edges of pools. Coastal populations spawn in autumn–winter, and the larvae have a marine phase of several months before returning to estuaries as 45–65 mm whitebait in spring. In landlocked

populations spawning occurs in spring after an upstream migration into feeder streams, and the larvae fulfilling their pelagic phase in downstream lakes. Fecundity is moderate to high: 1000–16,000 eggs deposited amongst instream aquatic vegetation. The eggs are small (~1.0–1.3 mm diameter) and take about four weeks to hatch, and the larvae are about 6.5–9.0 mm long at hatching.

Spotted galaxias are carnivorous—adults eat aquatic insect larvae and terrestrial insects that fall onto the water surface. They take much of their food in the drift in mid-water, particularly caddisflies and mayflies. The larvae feed mainly on microcrustaceans (copepods) for the first 2–3 months of life. There are significant differences in the ecology of the coastal and landlocked populations of this species in Tasmania, including different timing of the breeding season and the presence of more young fish in coastal populations. There are also significant differences between landlocked Tasmanian and landlocked Western Australian populations: the Tasmanian fish mature

Common name Spotted galaxias (Spotted mountain trout, trout minnow)

translocated or remnant?

scientific name Galaxias truttaceus Valenciennes, 1846

natiVe sPeCies

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unth

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chm

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F i s h e s o F t h e M u r r ay- Da r l i n g B a s i n 49An introductory guide48 F i s h e s o F t h e M u r r ay- Da r l i n g B a s i n 49An introductory guide48 An introductory guide 49

later, live longer, grow larger and have larger eggs and larvae. The WA population has the late-autumn spawning season of the coastal Tasmanian fish. Little is known of the species’ ecology in the Basin, but it must be assumed that the Basin populations are landlocked given the large numbers of migration barriers between the Campaspe and marine waters.

Distribution and abundanceNormally a species of coastal streams of Vic, Tas and southwest WA, in the Basin the Spotted galaxias is present in the upper Campaspe and Loddon drainages, where it is thought to have been transferred from coastal Victorian streams through its use for bait, or to represent a remnant population of a historically wider distribution. A single recent record of a whitebait of this species is also known from the Lower Murray near Wentworth.

Potential threatsPredation and displacement by introduced trout species, and habitat loss through deforestation are threats. When translocated,

the Spotted galaxias may itself pose a threat to other native fish species through competition for food or space.

general referencesAllen et al. 2002; Cadwallader & Backhouse 1983; McDowall & Fulton 1996; Gilligan 2005b; Humphries 1989, 1990; Humphries & Lake 2000; Littlejohn 2000; Morgan 2003.

iD VALLey 1 Avoca 2 Border rivers 3 Broken 4 campaspe 5 castlereagh 6 central Murray 7 condamine 8 darling 9 goulburn 10 gwydir 11 Kiewa 12 Lachlan 13 Loddon 14 Lower Murray 15 Macquarie 16 Mitta Mitta 17 Murrumbidgee 18 namoi 19 ovens 20 Paroo 21 upper Murray 22 Warrego 23 Wimmera

Published by the Murray-Darling Basin Commission Postal address: GPO Box 409, Canberra ACT 2601 Office location: Level 3, 51 Allara Street, Canberra City ACT Telephone: (02) 6279 0100, international + 61 2 6279 0100 Facsimile: (02) 6248 8053, international + 61 2 6248 8053 Email: info@mdbc.gov.au Internet: http://www.mdbc.gov.au

For further information contact the Murray-Darling Basin Commission office on (02) 6279 0100

This fish fact sheet is an extract derived from the report: Lintermans, M. 2007, Fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin: An introductory guide.

MDBC Publication No. 10/07

ISBN 1 921257 20 2

© Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2007

This work is copyright. Graphical and textual information in the work (with the exception of photographs, artwork and the MDBC logo) may be stored, retrieved and reproduced in whole or in part provided the information is not sold or used for commercial benefit and its source (Fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin) is acknowledged. Such reproduction includes fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968. Reproduction for other purposes is prohibited without the permission of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission or the individual photographers and artists with whom copyright applies.

To extent permitted by law, the copyright holders (including its employees and consultants) exclude all liability to any person for any consequences, including but not limited to all losses, damages, costs, expenses and any other compensation, arising directly or indirectly from using this report (in part or whole) and any information or material contained in it.

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