GALAX1AS CLEAVERI IN VICTORIA 
diadromous species may occur, as is exhibited 
by G. truttaceus and G. brevipinnis which are 
widespread in Victorian coastal streams (Koehn 
& O’Connor 1990a, 1990c). The more restricted 
distribution of G. cleaveri suggests that the 
larvae may be confined to estuaries, although 
further surveys are needed to elucidate dispersal 
mechanisms. 
HABITAT 
A comprehensive description of the undisturbed 
habitat at site 1 was given by Jackson & Davies 
(1982). Site 2 which is also undisturbed is a small 
steep stream with a pool-riffle sequence drain¬ 
ing mountainous forest country. The substrate 
consisted of cobbles and gravel, the flow was 
high, fast and turbid, the conductivity was 150 
EC and water temperature was 10°C. It is poss¬ 
ible that the specimen found at this site had been 
washed from areas of low-lying pasture during 
recent rains. 
All new sites were characterised as being 
modified with all riparian vegetation removed, 
and sites 3 and 4 had also been channelized. 
Site 3 is a shallow channel (1 m wide, 0.2 m 
deep) with a 0.8 m mud substrate and with water 
20-30 mm deep draining from a spring in a pas¬ 
tured paddock into the Calder River, At the time 
of collection (17 October 1990) the channel had 
recently been excavated and little vegetation was 
present. Dissolved oxygen concentrations were 
5.7 mg/L, pH was 7.0 and conductivity was 680 
EC at 8.0”C. On 27 February 1991 the drain was 
heavily vegetated with a variety of native and 
introduced species of aquatic and pasture veg¬ 
etation, the water was 20-30 mm deep, and the 
mud substrate was 200-400 mm thick. 
Site 4 is a shallow drain (0.2-0.4 m deep) with 
a silt substrate leading from a spring in a cleared 
paddock into the Aire River. On 24 August 1990 
niost of the site consisted of a 2 m wide channel 
together with a larger 15 m x 20 m area, and was 
densely vegetated with aquatic species. Conduc¬ 
tivity was 185 EC at 10°C. On 17 October 1990 
dissolved oxygen concentration was 5.6 mg/L, 
pH was 6.7, and conductivity was 850 EC at 
17 C. On 27 February 1991 there was 100 mm of 
mud and a little water up to 20 mm deep in cattle 
oot prints in the channel. The larger area had 
s irunk to 3 m x 20 m with up to 100 mm of water 
mid 300 mm of mud. Sections of the drain often 
become dry during summer but other sections 
a reniain moist due to an underground spr- 
ln 8 (D. Denney pers. comm.). 
Site 5 is a small billabong (60 m x 5 m x 0.8 m 
deep) about 30 m from the Aire River. No flow 
was apparent and the substrate was silt with 
dense aquatic vegetation. On 16 October 1990 
the water was dark tannin in colour and had a 
dissolved oxygen concentration of 4.0 mg/L, pH 
of 6.4 and conductivity of 190 EC at 16.5°C. One 
specimen of G. cleaveri was collected from just 
inside a large log lying in the water. On 27 Fe¬ 
bruary' 1991 the site was completely dry, a con¬ 
dition not unusual for this season (D. Denney 
pers. comm.). 
All sites are at low altitudes (a maximum of 20 
m above sea level) and close to the sea (a maxi¬ 
mum of 8.5 km from the sea but only 3 km from 
brackish water). Except for site 2, all sites had no 
discernible flow and had mud or silt substrates 
and dense aquatic vegetation. Although 
Andrews (1976) considered that (?. cleaveri tol¬ 
erated brackish water, all our specimens were 
collected from fresh water. The drain leading 
from site 3, however, flowed into reaches of the 
Aire River which are known regularly to contain 
an estuarine salt-wedge under low flow con¬ 
ditions (J. Koehn pers. obs.). 
The presence of G. cleaveri at these sites is 
consistent with its occurrence elsewhere in 
swamps, drains and semi-permanent waters. G. 
cleaveri was collected from stagnant pools in 
Tasmania (Andrews 1976) and from a drainage 
system usually dry' in summer on Flinders Island 
(Green 1984). Fulton (1986) also recorded G. 
cleaveri from a dry section of the Esperance 
River in Tasmania. In New Zealand three 
species of mudfish, Neochanna burrowsius, N. 
apoda and N. diversus , have also been described 
as specialised to life in swamps, creeks and 
drains that tend to dry up in summer (Eldon 
1968, 1978, 1979a, McDowall 1990). 
Scott (1934) described G. cleaveri as one of the 
most specialised galaxiids in having adopted a 
mode of life suited to such habitats. Such adap¬ 
tation and an association with low altitude, 
swampy habitats is likely to indicate a high de¬ 
gree of dependance on the presence of appropri¬ 
ate habitats. Collection of the species in Victoria 
from disjunct and highly modified areas con¬ 
taining introduced vegetation suggests that these 
populations may be remnants of a larger popu¬ 
lation that once existed when suitable habitats 
were more widespread. 
BEHAVIOUR 
We kept four G. cleaveri from site 3 in a glass 
aquarium (0.36 x 0.45 x 0.10 m) containing a silt 
