New Zealand Freshwater Fish

DSC_3981 Inanga (Galaxias maculatus) spawning occurs in waterways close to the coast during very high ‘king’ tides, in autumn. Egg-laying is usually amongst ﬂooded riparian vegetation. The tiny gelatinous eggs are left stranded when the tide retreats and are stimulated to hatch between two and four weeks later by the next king tide and the larvae go to sea. After three to ﬁve months at sea, the larvae return as ‘whitebait’. Waikouaiti River *

66 / 341

DSC_3981 Inanga (Galaxias maculatus) spawning occurs in waterways close to the coast during very high ‘king’ tides, in autumn. Egg-laying is usually amongst ﬂooded riparian vegetation. The tiny gelatinous eggs are left stranded when the tide retreats and are stimulated to hatch between two and four weeks later by the next king tide and the larvae go to sea. After three to ﬁve months at sea, the larvae return as ‘whitebait’. Waikouaiti River *

Inanga eggs DSC 3981 whitebait galaxias galaxiidae freshwater fish bait maculatus galaxiid spawning egg laying