Mountain Galaxias

Interesting Info

• The Mountain Galaxias, unlike many other galaxias, is widespread, found across southeastern Australia in Victoria, New South Wales, the ACT, and parts of South Australia, as well as in Tasmania.
• Its body is slim and scaleless, coloured golden-brown to olive with scattered darker blotches, which help it blend into rocky and pebbly streambeds.
• It inhabits a variety of habitats, from cool alpine creeks to lower-elevation rivers, making it one of the most adaptable galaxias.
• Adults feed on insects, insect larvae, small crustaceans, worms, and occasionally tadpoles or fish eggs.
• They are weak swimmers compared to trout, and prefer calm pools and slower riffles where they can shelter among rocks and vegetation.
• Despite being widespread, their numbers can decline quickly when brown trout or rainbow trout are introduced, as trout outcompete them for food and also prey on them.
• Breeding usually occurs in spring (September–November), when females lay adhesive eggs among gravel, aquatic plants, or submerged debris in shallow flowing water.
• Larvae drift into slower-flowing areas or pools, where they feed on plankton before moving back into riffles as juveniles.
• Mountain Galaxias are important prey for native predators like water birds and platypus, making them a key part of the freshwater food web.
• The lifespan is typically 2–5 years, longer than many of the tiny, short-lived galaxias species.