New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts
A new longjaw galaxias species
(Teleostei: Galaxiidae) from the Kauru River, North Otago, New Zealand
R. M. McDowall
National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research
P.O. Box 8602
Christchurch, New Zealand
J. M. Waters
Department of Zoology
University of Otago
P.O. Box 56
Dunedin, New Zealand
Abstract
A population of “longjaw galaxias”, long known to be present in the Kauru River, a small tributary of the Kakanui River in North Otago, is shown to be a distinct species using both morphological and molecular characters. It is described here as Galaxias cobitinis
n. sp., which has: origin of anal fin anterior to that of dorsal fin, only 15 principal caudal fin rays, only 5 pelvic fin rays, and only 51–53 vertebrae. In these and other morphological characters it differs from G. prognathus
Stokell. One specimen from the Hakataramea River, lower Waitaki River system appears to also be G. cobitinis
. Molecular evidence suggests long isolation from the Kauru River of “true” longjaw galaxias G. prognathus
and
from rivers draining the high Southern Alps (type locality: Wilberforce River, tributary of the Rakaia River), perhaps dating back as long as 11–4 million years ago (late Miocene-early Pliocene). This prolonged isolation contrasts with hypothesised more recent isolation of populations of the Galaxias vulgaris
species group in the Kakanui River from other populations of that species group. Thus, sympatric species of Galaxias
have contrasting biogeographic histories in the Kakanui River.
Keywords
Galaxiidae; Galaxias cobitinis; new species; Kauru River; longjaw galaxias
Z01029 Received 7 March 2001; accepted 23 August 2001
New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 2002, Vol. 29
: 41–52
0301–4223/02/2901–0041 $7.00/0 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2002
PDF file of entire paper: Print-quality (535K)
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