The Tarndale bully,Gobiomorphus alpinusStokell (Pisces: Eleotridae) revisited and redescribed

Galaxias gollumoides(Teleostei: Galaxiidae), a new fish species from Stewart Island, with notes on other non‐migratory freshwater fishes present on the island

“…The upland bully, Gobwmorphm bieviceps (Stokell) (Eleotndae) is another non-diadromous fish species which has, hitherto, not been recorded from Stewart Island It, too was collected from the Island Hill wetlands-identified easily by the mass of polygonal grey/orange spots on the cheeks, and a bright orange stripe across the outer fringe of the first dorsal fin in males absence of scales on the nape and back well back towards the first dorsal fin, and on the isthmus and belly well back towards the vent, and the absence of laterosensory pores on the head (McDowall 1975(McDowall , 1990 Fin ray counts of the Island Hill wetlands bullies are consistently at the lower end of ranges in G breviceps (first dorsal fin V spines, pectoral fins with 12 13 rays), but nevertheless fall within observed ranges of variation in G breviceps (McDowall 1975) It is a non-migratory species (McDowall 1990, McDowall & Eldon 1997 Its presence on Stewart Island is also not unexpected considering former land connections across Foveaux Strait, the wide distribution of G breviteps in the eastern South Island as far south as Southland, its common sympatry with Galaxias depressiceps, the presence on Stewart Island of the two non migratory Galaxias species, its broad habitat tolerances (McDowall 1990), and its vigorous life history characteristics (McDowall & Eldon 1997) The presence of three non-migratory freshwater fish species m Stewart Island streams raises interesting questions of historical and ecological biogeography, answers to which must await more thorough sampling of the island's waterways and lakes The species' distubutions on Stewart Island are peculiar, insofar as the two sets of localities for G gollumoides are well separated, as are the localities for G depiessiceps in the Rakeahua River-which drains the topography lying directly between the two areas where G gollumoides is presently known (Fig 1) Given that much of this intervening area, apart irom the Rakeahua River catchment has not been explored for its freshwater fishes, it seems to us likely that G gollumoides will be found more widely on the island Meanwhile, the present enigma of the two non-migratory Galaxias species having intersecting distnbutions remains and seems unlikely to be resolved simply by additional collections around Stewart Island The pattern could result from habitat preferences, or possibly from the influences of historical geology or geomorphology G gollumoides is very sparse in the streams of the Robertson River area (where presently known), perhaps owing to the limited amount of mstream covei, but possibly because its preferred habitats aie still or gently-flowing waters, similar to those found around Island Hill and its associated wetlands Where presently known G gollumoides co-occurs only with G bieviceps (Island Hill wetlands), or is the only fish species recorded (Robertson River) Possibly, it can not survive in coexistence with most of the other freshwatei fishes lecorded from Stewart Island by Chadderton (1988Chadderton ( , 1990 The description of G gollumoides, following revision of the family by McDowall (1970-13 species), taxonomic studies of the G xulgans species group …”

Age, growth, and movements of giant bullies(Gobiomorphus gobioides)in the Kakanui River estuary, South Island, New Zealand

“…For instance, a recent study of spawning in the upland bully (McDowall & Eldon 1997) recorded up to nine spawnings per year, whereas the presence of two or more size modes of developing oocytes in ovaries of redfinned, upland and common bullies (McDowall 1965a, Staples 1975, Stephens 1982) is also consistent with multiple spawnings per year. Likewise, McDowall ( 1990) assumed that dual recruitment periods for juvenile bluegilled bullies signified dual spawnings.…”

Revision of so-called Pomatoschistus (Gobiiformes, Teleostei) from the late Eocene and early Oligocene

“…For instance, the ectopterygoid is present in some species, and lacking in others (Hoese, 1984;Hoese and Larson, 1987), the epural number varies between 1 and 2 (see Birdsong et al, 1988) and the number of vertebrae (excluding the terminal centrum) ranges from 26 to 31 (McDowall, 1975). Nonetheless, the genus Gobiomorphus has been recognized as monophyletic based on molecular and morphological data (see McDowall, 1975;Stevens and Hicks, 2009). …”

“…Among the Gobiiformes, Gobiomorphus is difficult to define based on meristic and osteological characters because it belongs to the genera with the highest levels of variation in skeletal features (see McDowall, 1975;Hoese and Larson, 1987;Birdsong et al, 1988). For instance, the ectopterygoid is present in some species, and lacking in others (Hoese, 1984;Hoese and Larson, 1987), the epural number varies between 1 and 2 (see Birdsong et al, 1988) and the number of vertebrae (excluding the terminal centrum) ranges from 26 to 31 (McDowall, 1975). Nonetheless, the genus Gobiomorphus has been recognized as monophyletic based on molecular and morphological data (see McDowall, 1975;Stevens and Hicks, 2009).…”