Galaxias gollumoides (Teleostei: Galaxiidae), a new fish species from Stewart Island, with notes on other non‐migratory freshwater fishes present on the island

Galaxias gollumoides is a new species described from the Island Hill wetlands in central Stewart Island (east of Mason Bay), and the Robertson River in southern Stewart Island It is the first endemic Galaxias from the island, although another non‐diadromous species, G depressiceps, is present there, as well as four diadromous species of Galaxias G gollumoides appears to belong to the G vulgaris species group, which otherwise includes G vulgaris Stokell, G depressiceps McDowall and Wallis, G anomalus Stokell, G eldoni McDowall, and G pullus McDowall, all of which are known primarily from the eastern South Island of New Zealand G gollumoides differs from all of these particularly in usually having only 6 pelvic fin rays, and from all except G anomalus in that the eye is usually more than 23% of head length Further fish from tributaries of the Freshwater River in northern Stewart Island and the Rakeahua River in central Stewart Island are identified as G depressiceps, which is widely distributed across Otago and Southland Gobiomorphus breviceps (Stokell) (Eleotridae) is recorded from Stewart Island for the first time

Keywords:

• New Zealand
• Stewart Island
• Galaxias gollumoides
• Galaxias depressiceps
• Gobiomorphus breviceps
• new species
• new records taxonomy

Notes

National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, PO Box 8602, Christchurch

Department of Conservation, P O Box 743, Invercargill