Flathead galaxias (Australia)

Flathead galaxias
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Osmeriformes
Family:	Galaxiidae
Subfamily:	Galaxiinae
Genus:	Galaxias
Species:	G. rostratus
Binomial name
Galaxias rostratus Klunzinger, 1872

The flathead galaxias, Galaxias rostratus, is a freshwater fish found in lowland rivers and streams and associated billabongs, backwaters, etc. of the southern Murray-Darling river system in Australia.

Flathead galaxias continue a pattern found in Murray-Darling native fish of speciation into upland and lowland habitats. Flathead galaxias are found in lowland habitats while the Mountain Galaxias species complex, containing at least seven species of Galaxias (research is ongoing) are found in upland habitats as well as "midland" or upland/lowland transitional habitats.

There are serious concerns for flathead galaxias. They along with a number of other small native forage fish are quietly disappearing from vast tracts of the Murray-Darling basin. Along with river regulation, destruction of water clarity and submergent macrophytes ("water weed") by exotic, illegally introduced Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) appears to be having a devastating effect on this species. It appears many or all of the small native forage fish of the southern Murray-Darling system used these weeds beds for shelter, feeding and spawning sites.

References

• Wager (1996). Galaxias rostratus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1c v2.3)
• "Galaxias rostratus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 11 March 2006. 
• Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2005). "Galaxias rostratus" in FishBase. 10 2005 version.

External links

• Native Fish Australia - Flathead Galaxias page