GALAXIAS CLEAVERI IN VICTORIA 
83 
LIFECYCLE 
Two male G. cleaveri collected at site 4 on 31 
May 1990 were in a ripe spawning stage (Pollard 
1972), whereas individuals collected on 24 Au¬ 
gust 1990 were all spent or undeveloped, indi¬ 
cating a winter spawning. These observations 
are consistent with those of Andrews (1976) who 
reported fully developed eggs in a specimen of G. 
cleaveri examined in Tasmania during May. 
After ageing whitebait returning to freshwater as 
approximately 2 months old, Fulton (1986) sug¬ 
gested that G. cleaveri spawn during mid-winter, 
and he believes (W. Fulton pers. comm.) that 
juvenile G. cleaveri return to fresh water during 
spring along with other galaxiids. 
Cadwallader (1975) and Eldon (1979a) con¬ 
cluded that Neochanna burrowsius in New Zea¬ 
land spawns during late winter and early spring 
in habitats frequented by adults. In contrast, 
Eldon (1979a) suggested that N. apoda spawns 
during most months of the year, especially when 
a drought breaks. Because Eldon (1971) found 
that in an aquarium N. apoda deposited eggs 
above the waterline, he speculated that in the 
wild the species deposits eggs out of the water 
amongst damp vegetation and detritus. The 
spawning location of G. cleaveri has not yet been 
found. 
Present evidence indicates that G. cleaveri is 
unique amongst galaxiids in possessing the two 
characteristics of aestivation and diadromy. 
THREATS AND CONSERVATION STATUS 
General threats to freshwater native fish in 
Victoria have been described by Koehn & 
0 Connor (1990b) who considered habitat re¬ 
moval and alteration a prime reason for the 
decline of many species. The reliance of G. cleav¬ 
eri on specific habitat would appear to make it 
susceptible to habitat changes, particularly the 
loss of wetland habitat. 
The maintenance of fish habitats has been rec¬ 
ognised as a key issue in management of the 
State’s freshwater fish fauna (Koehn & O’Con¬ 
nor 1990c). Whilst up to one-third of the State’s 
wetlands have been destroyed (DCE 1988), most 
of the assessments have related only to water- 
birds; further assessments in relation to changes 
k a ^ tats are necessary. Corrick (1981, 
N82) and Corrick & Norman (1980) assessed 
coastal wetlands in southern Victoria and as¬ 
signed them to the following categories. 
• Flooded river flats: land inundated for very 
short periods following rain or flooding. 
2. Freshwater meadows: land with waterlogged 
soil for up to 3 months each year but where 
surface water is shallow and transient. 
3. Shallow freshwater marshes: land with water¬ 
logged soil throughout the year, and where 
surface water may be present for 6 to 9 
months. 
4. Deep freshwater marshes: land inundated to 
a depth of more than 1 m during years of 
average or above average rainfall. 
5. Permanent open fresh water: water storages 
and natural lakes deeper than 1 m. 
6. Semi-permanent saline wetlands. 
7. Permanent saline wetlands. 
From our knowledge of the habitats of adult 
G. cleaveri , shallow freshwater marshes (cat¬ 
egory' 3) and deep freshwater marshes (category 
4) appear to provide permanent areas of habitat. 
Flooded river flats and freshwater meadows 
may be used temporarily by the species during 
migration of whitebait or migration of adults to 
estuarine areas. Open fresh water (category 5) is 
unlikely to be used, particularly if lacking veg¬ 
etation. There is no evidence to suggest that 
saline wetlands (categories 6 and 7) provide suit¬ 
able habitats. 
In a study of the Snowy River and Gippsland 
Lakes catchments, Corrick & Norman (1980) 
concluded that 25% of shallow and 34% of deep 
freshwater marshes have been lost. Within 
the Port Phillip Bay region, valuable w-etlands 
lost include the Edithvale-Carrum-Seaford 
Sw'amps (Champion 1977, Donnelly et al. 1985) 
and the swamps of the lower Yarra and Maribyr- 
nong Rivers (Castelnau 1872, excerpts from a 
diary kept by J. Flemings reprinted in Shilling- 
law' 1879, Kenyon 1934, and Ducker 1985). 
After studying wetlands between Port Phillip 
Bay and Mt Emu Creek in western Victoria, Cor¬ 
rick (1982) concluded that 79% of shallow and 
66% of deep freshwater marshes had been lost 
since European settlement, an overall loss of 
73% of potential G. cleaveri habitat. The most 
extensive habitat loss, however, is in South 
Gippsland where 95% of the natural freshwater 
wetland once present has been destroyed (Cor¬ 
rick 1981). South Gippsland also includes the 
largest areas of potential G. cleaveri habitat 
because it contains coastal-draining wetlands 
only within 40 km of the coast, unlike the other 
areas where wetlands extend as far as 150 km 
inland. 
More than 23,000 ha of wetlands have been 
lost in South Gippsland, including Koo-Wee- 
Rup, Cardinia and Yallock Swamps, and 
swamps along the Powlett and Tarwin Rivers. 
