32 
J. D. KOEHN & W. G. O’CONNOR 
Family Scientific name 
Common name 
Abbreviation 
Native species 
Mordacidae 
Mordacia mordax (Richardson) 
Short-headed lamprey 
Shlamp 
Geotriidae 
Geotria australis Gray 
Pouched lamprey 
Plamp 
Anguillidae 
Anguilla australis 
Short-finned eel 
Sfeel 
Galaxiidae 
Galaxias maculatus (Jenyns) 
Common galaxias 
Cgal 
Galaxias olidus Gunther 
Mountain galaxias 
Mgal 
Galaxias brevipinnis Gunther 
Broad-finned galaxias 
Bgal 
Galaxias truttaceus Valenciennes 
Spotted galaxias 
Sgal 
Galaxias cleaveri Scott 
Tasmanian mudfish 
Tmudf 
Retropinnidae 
Retropinna semoni (Weber) 
Australian smelt 
Asmelt 
Prototroctidae 
Prototroctes maraena (Gunther) 
Australian grayling 
Agrayl 
Kuhliidae 
Nannoperca australis Gunther 
Southern pigmy perch 
Spper 
Gadopsidae 
Gadopsis marmoratus Richardson 
Freshwater blackfish 
Fbfish 
Bovichthyidae 
Pseudaphritis urvillii (Valenciennes) 
Tupong 
Tup 
Eleotridae 
Philypnodon grandiceps (Krefft) 
Flat-headed gudgeon 
Fhgd 
Introduced Species 
Salmonidae 
Salmo trutta Linnaeus 
Brown trout 
Btr 
Oncorhynchus my kiss Walbaum 
Rainbow trout 
Rtr 
Poeciliidae 
Gambusia affmis (Baird & Girard) 
Mosquitofish 
Mosqf 
Percidae 
Perea fluviatilis Linnaeus 
Redfin 
Rfin 
Table 1. Freshwater fish species found in the Otway region. Abbreviations are those 
used in Appendix. 
DISCUSSION 
Geomorphological and climatic influences 
During the last glacial epoch (18,000 to 15,000 
years BP) the seabed of what is now Bass Strait 
formed a land link between Tasmania and main¬ 
land Australia (Bowler & Hamada 1971). The 
western edge of the link between King Island and 
the mainland extended close to the tip of Cape 
Otway and encompassed the present Otway 
coastal region (Jennings 1971). The small 
coastal streams on what is now the eastern side 
of the Otway Range may not have existed at that 
time. The rising postglacial sea-level first cut the 
land link between the Otway region and King 
Island between 15,000 and 10,000 years BP. The 
sea had risen almost to its present level by 5,000 
years BP. Since then no major coastal geo¬ 
morphological changes have occurred (Jennings 
Major climatic changes have also occurred 
since the glaciation. Sometime after 9,700 years 
BP the climate around Lake Keilambete, about 
70 km northwest of Cape Otway, became wetter, 
and was wettest between 6,500 years BP and 
5,000 years BP (Dodson 1974). The water in the 
lake later fell to its lowest levels at about 3,500 
BP and at about 770 BP, before reaching its 
highest level in the 19th century (Dodson 1974). 
The decreases in lake levels may reflect re¬ 
ductions in precipitation or increases in tem¬ 
perature and evaporation (Bowler & Hamada 
