Saddled Galaxias
The Saddled Galaxias is one of Australia's rarest freshwater fish — a small, scaleless native found only in Woods Lake and Arthurs Lake on Tasmania's Central Plateau, with a handful of individuals recently recorded in nearby Little Lake and Gunns Lake.
It's not a target species for anglers; its significance is conservation, not catch. Anyone fishing those Central Plateau lakes should know it's there and handle any accidental capture with care.
Scientific Name: Galaxias tanycephalus
Also known as Arthurs Galaxias, Golden Galaxias, Spotted Mountain Trout
- Stout, bullet-shaped body with no scales; long head tapering to a distinctly slender snout — unusual proportions that set it apart from trout or perch at a glance.
- Olive-green to grey overall, sometimes with a purplish sheen on the flanks; darker grey saddle-shaped markings across the back give the species its name; belly silvery.
- Fins are olive to amber; caudal fin slightly notched; dorsal and anal fins small and set well back toward the tail.
- Typically 7–8 cm; maximum around 14.5 cm — small enough to fit in a palm.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Endemic to Tasmania and found nowhere else on Earth; natural range is restricted to Woods Lake and Arthurs Lake on the Central Plateau, with recent records from Little Lake and Gunns Lake via a connecting stream.
- Adults use rocky shorelines and beds of aquatic vegetation in the littoral zone; larvae and juveniles school in open water away from structure.
- Does not migrate — the entire lifecycle plays out within the lake system, with only occasional use of the lower reaches of inflow streams.
Key Locations
- Woods Lake, Central Plateau, Tasmania — the stronghold population; a 2025 survey recorded over 1,500 individuals in a single night, a significant result after years of low numbers.
- Arthurs Lake, Central Plateau, Tasmania — a second established population, surveyed with good numbers in late 2024.
- Little Lake and Gunns Lake, Central Plateau — small numbers recorded from 2018 onward via a connecting stream to the Arthurs Lake population.
Specific Spots
- Adults concentrate along rocky shores and macrophyte beds where cover is available — the same littoral margins that drop in quality when water levels fall due to hydro-electric drawdown.
- Juveniles school in open, pelagic water rather than holding to structure, making them more vulnerable to predation by introduced Brown Trout.
Saddled Galaxias FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
How do you catch Saddled Galaxias?
The Saddled Galaxias is not targeted by anglers. Anyone fishing Woods Lake or Arthurs Lake for Brown Trout should be able to identify this species on accidental capture and return it immediately and unharmed.
What do Saddled Galaxias eat?
Adults eat insects and crustaceans, aquatic invertebrates picked from rocky substrate and vegetation edges, similar forage to what drives trout feeding in the same lakes. Juveniles likely feed on zooplankton while schooling in open water, a phase that makes them particularly vulnerable to larger predators.
Where do Saddled Galaxias live?
Endemic to Tasmania and found nowhere else on Earth; natural range is restricted to Woods Lake and Arthurs Lake on the Central Plateau, with recent records from Little Lake and Gunns Lake via a connecting stream.
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