Author: Castelnau, 1873
FBname: Ornate Galaxias
Comments: A freshwater fish that is unable to undertake diadromous migrations. Recorded from cool, well-shaded and clear-flowing, small upland creeks and moist gullies along mountain ranges (e.g. Dandenong Ranges, GDR, Otway Ranges), larger, forested foothill streams to larger rivers at lower elevation. The streams occupied usually range in size from 0.5-8.0 m in width (up to 20 m), with 0.05-0.30 m average depth, with pools 0.3 to > 1.2 m in depth, with a complex instream substrate ranging from clay and sand to bedrock, boulder and cobble. Instream cover usually relatively plentiful, consisting of rock, large and small timber debris, aquatic vegetation, and vegetation and bank overhang. It is also known from drier river systems, including ephemeral tributaries, to the north-west and west of Melbourne (e.g. Plenty, Maribyrnong, and Werribee rivers), where individuals are able to persist in small and large, isolated and sometimes stagnant pools. Also able to persist in small streams within upland catchments in the north-east of their range (e.g. upper Yarra River system) that are often covered by snow for varying periods of time during winter (Ref. 98815).
  It is usually recorded at densities up to 04-1.5 fish/m2 , though can be very abundant in isolated pools (up to 3.0 fish/m2). Recorded in sympatry with <i>Galaxias brevipinnis, Galaxias maculatus, Galaxias truttaceus</i>, and historically possibly with <i>Galaxiella pusilla</i> and <i>Neochanna cleaveri</i> (Ref. 98815).