Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Where are galaxioid fishes found in the Southern Hemisphere?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
protacanthopterygian
Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).
In the Southern Hemisphere, galaxioid fishes are found in the freshwater environments of southern Africa, southern South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania.1
These fishes belong to the superfamily Galaxioidea, which includes the families Galaxiidae, Retropinnidae, and Lepidogalaxiidae. The family Galaxiidae is the most widespread of these groups, with approximately 50 species distributed across all the aforementioned regions. The family Retropinnidae is native to Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania, while the family Lepidogalaxiidae is represented by a single species, the salamanderfish (Lepidogalaxias salmandroides), found in southwestern Australia.1