Galaxiidae

Galaxiidae is a family of mostly freshwater ray-finned fishes native to the Southern Hemisphere. Its members include galaxias, mudfishes, and closely related groups.

Connect

Galaxiiformes: Galaxiiformes is an order of ray-finned fishes that includes Galaxiidae and several related families. This broader order places Galaxiidae among its closest taxonomic relatives.
Whitebait: Whitebait are juvenile fish harvested as food, especially in New Zealand and parts of South America. Several commercially harvested whitebait species are juvenile galaxiids.
New Zealand mudfish: New Zealand mudfish are small galaxiid fishes adapted to wetlands and waterways that can dry seasonally. Their survival in drying habitats illustrates the family’s ecological diversity.
Gondwana: Gondwana was an ancient southern supercontinent that included present-day South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and India. Southern Hemisphere distributions raise questions about inheritance from Gondwanan ancestors.
Biogeography of Galaxiidae: The biogeography of Galaxiidae examines how galaxiid distributions arose and changed across the Southern Hemisphere. Dispersal and ancient continental separation remain competing explanations for some range patterns.
Ray-finned fish: Ray-finned fishes are vertebrates whose fins are supported by bony or cartilaginous rays. Galaxiids belong to this immense vertebrate class, Actinopterygii.
Diadromy: Diadromy is a life-history pattern in which fish migrate between freshwater and the sea. Diadromous galaxiids depend on access between rivers and coastal waters.
Climbing galaxias: The climbing galaxias is a freshwater fish of southeastern Australia capable of ascending steep, wet surfaces. Its climbing ability lets it reach upstream habitat beyond some natural barriers.
Southern Hemisphere: The Southern Hemisphere is the half of Earth south of the equator. The family’s native range is concentrated in this half of the globe.
Fish taxonomy: Fish taxonomy is the scientific classification and naming of fish species and their evolutionary relationships. Molecular studies continue to revise relationships within and around Galaxiidae.