The dwarf inanga (''Galaxias gracilis'') is a

galaxiid The Galaxiidae are a family of mostly small freshwater fish in the Southern Hemisphere. The majority live in Southern Australia or New Zealand, but some are found in South Africa, southern South America, Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia, and the ...

of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

Galaxias ''Galaxias'' is a genus of small freshwater fish in the family Galaxiidae, and are frequently referred to as the galaxiids. These highly adaptable fish are typically found at temperate latitudes across the Southern Hemisphere. Galaxiids are s ...

'', found in the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-larges ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

. It is a landlocked galaxiid present in only eleven lakes on the west coast of the North Island within 50 km of

Dargaville Dargaville ( mi, Takiwira) is a town located in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River in the Kaipara District of the Northland region. The town is located 55 kilometres southwest of Whangār ...

, and in Lake Ototoa on the South Kaipara Head, where it was introduced in 1986. It can reach a maximum length of around 6.2 cm.

References

* Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1ce, B1+2 cd, D2 v2.3) * *
NIWA June 2006

Distribution and conservation status of the dwarf inanga Galaxias gracilis (Teleostei: Galaxiidae) an endemic fish of Northland dune lakes

DOC New Zealand non-migratory galaxiid fishes recovery plan 200313

Creating and destroying species: the ‘new’ biodiversity and evolutionarily significant units among New Zealand's galaxiid fishes N. Ling1,*, D. M. Gleeson2, K. J. Willis1,†, S. U. Binzegger
Galaxias Endemic freshwater fish of New Zealand Taxa named by Bob McDowall Fish described in 1967 {{Osmeriformes-stub