New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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THE CANTERBURY MUDFISH, GALAXIAS BURROWSIUS PHILLIPPS, A VANISHING SPECIES

W. Skrzynski

Fisheries Research Division, Marine Department, Wellington

Abstract Examination of available samples and of ecological knowledge of Galaxias burrowsius Phillipps (Galaxiidae) suggests that this species is confined to the Canterbury Plains and is now nearly extinct. Possible reasons for its decline are analysed and it is suggested that this decline may have started nearly 1,000 years ago with the changes in the climate-vegetation pattern. It has been hastened by the recent drastic transformation of the environment by European settlers. Distribution and habitats of two other New Zealand mudfishes, Neochanna apoda and N. diversus (Galaxiidae) are related to those of G. burrowsius.

N.Z. Jl mar. Freshwat. Res. 2: 688-97
(Received for publication 6 February 1968)

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (851K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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