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Lowland Longjaw Galaxias

Lowland Longjaw Galaxias

One of New Zealand's rarest native fish, the Lowland Longjaw Galaxias is a pencil-thin, scaleless species found only in a handful of braided river systems on the South Island.

Its entire known range fits within two river catchments, making it less a fishing target than a living indicator of how clean and intact a gravel-bed river system really is.

Scientific Name: Galaxias cobitinis

Also known as Lowland longjaw

Physical Characteristics:
  • Pencil-thin, scaleless body with thick, mucus-covered skin — pale lemon with silver flecks over dark brown splotchy patterning along the back.
  • The lower jaw protrudes noticeably beyond the upper lip, the defining feature that separates this species from other galaxiids at a glance.
  • Sparkly gold outer eyes; only 5 pelvic fin rays versus the 7 typical of related galaxiid species — a useful in-hand confirmation.
  • Tiny fish: most individuals fall under 70–80 mm total length, rarely reaching 90 mm.

What to know

Habitat Distribution

  • Endemic to the South Island of New Zealand, with the entire known range split between the Kakanui River catchment (North Otago) and a handful of spring-fed tributaries in the upper Waitaki catchment — two genetically distinct populations.
  • A cool, fast-water specialist: lives in the braided, riffle-heavy sections of rivers and spring-fed streams where water stays cold and well-oxygenated year-round.
  • Cobble and gravel substrates are essential — not just as habitat but as architecture the fish actively uses, burrowing into cracks and crevices between rocks.

Specific Spots

  • Adults spend daylight hours hidden beneath rocks and stones in riffle and run margins, emerging to feed after dark — the fish is there even when you can't see it.
  • Clean, movable cobble and gravel beds are the key microhabitat; compacted or silt-choked substrate eliminates the interstitial spaces adults depend on for shelter.
  • Juveniles school in slower water — pools, backwaters, and side braids — making those calmer margins the best place to spot young fish from late spring through midsummer.

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