THE TASMANIAN MUDFISH, GALAXIAS CLEAVERI SCOTT, 1934, IN 
VICTORIA 
J. D. Koehn and T. A. Raadik 
Freshwater Ecology Branch, Department of Conservation and Environment, 
123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084 
Koehn, J. D. & Raadik, T. A., 1991:12:31. The Tasmanian mudfish, Galaxias cleaveri 
Scott, 1934, in Victoria. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 103 (2): 77-86. 
ISSN 0035-9211. 
Galaxias cleaveri Scott, 1934 is recorded for the first time from the Aire River basin in 
western Victoria, extending the known westerly distribution of the species. The habitat, 
general biology and behaviour of the species are described and comparisons made with three 
species of New Zealand mudfish (Neochanna spp.). G, cleaveri is nocturnal and able to 
survive periods without free surface water. Large areas of potential G. cleaveri habitat have 
been destroyed in Victoria, and the preservation of freshwater wetland habitats is essential 
to the survival of the species in this State, where a conservation status of vulnerable remains 
justified. 
THE TASMANIAN MUDFISH, Galaxias 
cleaveri Scott, a member of the southern hemi¬ 
sphere family Galaxiidae, is a scaleless salmoni- 
form fish first described from Tasmania in 1934 
although specimens had been dug up at Strahan 
in western Tasmania in 1900 (Hall 1901, Scott 
1934). The species was considered endemic to 
Tasmania until 1980 when specimens were 
discovered on mainland Australia (Jackson & 
Davies 1982). In the 56 years since its discovery 
G. cleaveri has been recorded only spasmodi¬ 
cally, an indication that it is rare in terms of 
distribution and abundance. Consequently little 
is known of the general biology and ecology of 
this species; indeed, not until 1986 did anyone 
report that it possesses a marine larval stage 
(Fulton 1986). In the present paper we highlight 
the presence of G. cleaveri in Victoria and pro¬ 
vide updated information to help further work 
and the development of management strat¬ 
egies. 
Detailed descriptions of G. cleaveri were given 
by Andrew's (1976), McDowall & Frankenberg 
(1981) and Cadwallader & Backhouse (1983), 
and the last authors provided a colour photo¬ 
graph. Even so, workers less skilled in the tax¬ 
onomy of fish may experience difficulty in 
distinguishing G. cleaveri from the broad-finned 
galaxias, Galaxias brevipinnis Gunther, and the 
mountain galaxias, Galaxias olidus Gunther, 
which may occur within the same river 
system. 
The following morphological features may be 
used as a simplified guide to distinguishing adult 
G. cleaveri from G. brevipinnis and G. olidus 
(Fig. 1). 
1. Anal fin slightly behind origin of dorsal fin in 
G. cleaveri. 
2. Shape of dorsal and anal fins: low, rounded to 
ovoid, elongated posteriorly in G. cleaveri. 
3. Shape of caudal fin: rounded to truncated in 
G. cleaveri. 
4. Shape of flanges on caudal peduncle: large, 
long and raised in G. cleaveri. 
5. Shape of pectoral fins: large and rounded in 
G. cleaveri. 
6. Small head in G. cleaveri. 
1. Size of eyes: small in G. cleaveri. 
8. Large long tubular nostrils: more pronounced 
in G. cleaveri. 
Morphological similarities are exhibited with 
three species of New Zealand mudfish 
(McDowall Sc Whitaker 1975, McDowall 1990): 
the Canterbury mudfish, Neochanna burrowsius 
(Phillipps) (Skrzynski 1968, Cadwallader 1975); 
the brown mudfish, N. apoda Gunther (Eldon 
1968, 1971); and the black mudfish, N. diversus 
Stokell (Thompson 1987, McDowall 1990). In 
habitat and habits G. cleaveri shows similarities 
to these species and to the dwarf galaxias, Gal- 
axiella pusilla (Mack) (Backhouse & Vanner 
1978, Beck 1985, Humphries 1986). 
DISTRIBUTION 
Previous records 
G. cleaveri has been found to be patchily distri¬ 
buted in coastal areas in the north, south and 
west of Tasmania (Andrews 1976, McDowall & 
Frankenberg 1981, Fulton 1990) but was re¬ 
ported to be absent from Flinders and King 
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