Spotted Galaxias

Interesting Info

• The Spotted Galaxias is one of Australia’s largest galaxias, reaching up to 29 cm (11 in), though most are 15–20 cm (6–8 in) long.
• Its body is golden to olive-brown, covered in distinct black and gold leopard-like spots, which make it look very similar to a juvenile trout.
• It is found in southeastern Australia and Tasmania, including coastal rivers and streams of Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, and the Bass Strait islands.
• In Tasmania, it is widespread in coastal rivers, lakes, and estuaries, but it always needs access to the sea unless part of a landlocked population.
• Adults feed on insects, crustaceans, worms, and small fish, making them opportunistic predators in their habitats.
• They are considered one of the most attractive native freshwater fish in Australia due to their golden spotted pattern.
• Breeding takes place in autumn (March–May) when adults migrate downstream to estuaries. Females lay adhesive eggs in vegetation or debris along the tidal margins.
• The eggs remain damp but not submerged until the next spring tide, when they hatch and the larvae are washed out to sea.
• Larvae spend 4–6 months in the ocean before returning as juveniles to freshwater rivers in great numbers — a migration known as the whitebait run.
• Juveniles are strong swimmers, capable of migrating far upstream into rivers, sometimes more than 100 km from the coast.
• The lifespan is around 3–5 years, longer than most small galaxias species.