Galaxiidae

A Dictionary of Zoology | 1999 | 651 words | Copyright

Galaxiidae (galaxias, jollytail; subclass Actinopterygii, order Salmoniformes) A family of mainly freshwater fish that have a slender, almost tubular, scale-less body. The single dorsal fin is placed well back, close to the rounded tail fin, but the ventrals are half-way down the belly. Most galaxids live and reproduce in fresh water, but some species migrate to estuaries to spawn. Of the 20 species known, 15 are found only in Tasmania. The family is distributed only in the cooler waters of the southern hemisphere, including Australia, New Zealand (where G. maculatus is the basis of the whitebait fishery), S. America, and the Falkland Islands.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Galaxiidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Galaxiidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Galaxiidae.html

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