Shortjaw kokopu

"For a general article about all 3 kokopu." Taxobox
name = Shortjaw kokopu
status = VU
status_system = iucn2.3
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Osmeriformes
familia = Galaxiidae
subfamilia = Galaxiinae
genus = "Galaxias"
species = "G. postvectis"
binomial = "Galaxias postvectis"
binomial_authority = Clarke, 1899

The shortjaw kokopu, "Galaxias postvectis", is a galaxiid of the genus "Galaxias", found only in New Zealand, except the Chatham and Stewart Islands. It grows to a length of up to 26 cm.

Shortjaw kokopu have speckled coloration consisting of spots of various shades of brown and grey, with a distinctive dark patch behind the gill openings. The single dorsal and anal fins are large, rounded, and set back close to the large square caudal fin. Like all galaxiids it lacks scales and has a thick, leathery skin covered with mucus. The jaw is undercut, with the lower jaw being shorter than the upper.

This member of the Galaxiidae family is the rarest of the five species that occur in the whitebait runs that enter New Zealand rivers each spring. Adult shortjaw kokopu usually live in streams with large boulders, making detection difficult. With more appropriate detection methods it may not be as uncommon as previously thought. They penetrate well inland in many catchments, but they appear to be restricted to streams with native forest vegetation.

Shortjaw kokopu mostly feed on invertebrates that either live in the stream bed or fall into the water, and will move into the open at night for feeding.

References

* Listed as Vulnerable (VU B1+2bcd v2.3)
*
* [http://www.niwascience.co.nz/rc/freshwater/fishatlas/species/shortjaw_kokopu NIWA June 2006]