Red List of South African Species

Alternatively, Explore species
| National Red List categories | Partners |

Notes

Africa was previously thought to be represented by a single galaxiid species, the Cape Galaxias (Galaxias zebratus) (Barnard 1943, Skelton 2001). The Cape Galaxias was considered to be a widespread and morphologically variable species, with a distribution range extending from the Gamtoos River system in the eastern Cape Fold Ecoregion (CFE) to the Verlorenvlei River system on the west coast of South Africa (Waters and Cambray 1995, Skelton 2001), making it the second most widely distributed freshwater fish species in the CFE. The use of molecular markers to assess the level of genetic diversity within Galaxias zebratus uncovered several strongly diverged lineages within this species, indicating that the diversity of galaxiid fishes in Africa had been vastly underestimated (Waters and Cambray 1997, Wishart et al. 2006, Chakona et al. 2013). Fine scale geographic surveys conducted between 2008 and 2010 generated comprehensive data that allowed more accurate mapping of the distribution ranges of G. zebratus lineages in the south-western CFE (Chakona et al. 2013). Preliminary results from the ongoing taxonomic revision of G. zebratus indicate that many of these newly identified lineages constitute novel species (Chakona et al. in preparation). These lineages will therefore be assessed separately. This assessment is based only on the lineage that is endemic to the Goukou River system (hereafter Galaxias sp. nov ‘Goukou’). The other lineages of the Galaxias zebratus complex are excluded from this assessment.

habitat_narrative

Freshwater (=Inland waters)

As with many newly identified lineages in the Cape Fold Ecoregion, the ecology and biology of Galaxias sp. nov. 'Goukou' is unknown. Future studies should focus on generating this fundamental baseline information to inform conservation of this narrow range endemic lineage. Galaxias sp. nov. 'Goukou’ was caught along the vegetated margins of the pool and the out flowing stream, but there is need for more surveys to characterise habitat use, feeding ecology and breeding biology of this lineage.

Not much information here?

SANBI is currently in the process of adding more information about species to this database.

Search for this species on The Encyclopedia of Life