G. rostratus the Murray Jollytail bred in earthen ponds at the Inland Fisheries Research Station, Narrandera, NSW, when surface and bottom water temperatures were above 10.5oC during August and September. Flooding was unnecessary but there was water flow through the pond. Eggs were demersal, transparent, spherical, telolecithal and slightly adhesive; possessed a cluster of oil globules; varied from 1.35mm to 1.66mm in diameter; and appeared to be scattered randomly on the pond bottom during spawning. Eggs hatched after 8½ to 9½ days. The length of recently-hatched larvae ranged from 5.7mm to 8.1mm. The pro-larval stage terminated at around 5days after hatching. Water temperatures varied between 13.8 and 20.0oC during development. The largest adults collected were 15.0cm and weighed 22.5gm. Marked colour differences between the sexes were not obvious, but sex could be determined by the appearance of gonads through the transparent window anterior to the vent close to the breeding season. Fecundity of the females varied from 2300 eggs at 86mm body length and 4.7gm body weight to 7000 eggs at 136mm length and 19gm weight. The gonosomatic index rose to 40.0 and 31.2 in females and males respectively prior to breeding. The breeding and larvae of G. rostratus are compared to other Australian mainland Galaxiidae, and other freshwater fish larvae of inland NSW.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research-Article|
March 17 2014
Breeding biology, and egg and larval development of Galaxias rostratus Klunzinger, the Murray Jollytail from inland New South Wales
L. C. Llewellyn
L. C. Llewellyn
1
Curlew Biological Services, PO Box 67, Pacific Palms, NSW 2428
Search for other works by this author on:
Australian Zoologist (2005) 33 (2): 141–165.
Citation
L. C. Llewellyn; Breeding biology, and egg and larval development of Galaxias rostratus Klunzinger, the Murray Jollytail from inland New South Wales. Australian Zoologist 1 December 2005; 33 (2): 141–165. doi: https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2005.011
Download citation file:

How do RZS NSW members access the full text papers?
If you are a current RZS NSW member (with publications), please access the full text of papers by visiting https://www.rzsnsw.org.au/Australian-Zoologist-access-(Members-Only) (you will be asked to log in to RZS NSW). Do not log in at the top of this current page for access.
Citing articles via
Appropriate use of acoustics for surveying koalas and interpreting habitat use: a rebuttal to Smith and Pile (2024)
Brad Law, Leroy Gonsalves, Traecey Brassil, Isobel Kerr
Spatial and temporal patterns in the terrestrial vertebrate fauna of Edgbaston, a biogeographically significant conservation reserve in central Queensland
Pippa L. Kern, Gabrielle Lebbink, Anders Zimny, Gina Zimny, Rebecca Diete, Alex S. Kutt
Remembering the remarkable Frank Talbot
Pat Hutchings, Winston Ponder, Harry Recher
Parma wallabies: a history of translocations and reintroductions
Samaa Kalsia, Melanie Edwards, George Wilson
Breeding by Barn Owls Tyto alba in artificial nest hollows established for an endangered black cockatoo in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia
Peter R Mawson, Rick Dawson, Denis A Saunders