Listed as 'Rare' under the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.

Listed as 'Endangered' under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

This species is totally protected and may not be taken without a permit.

A medium to large sized galaxias, usually with a thickset body. The head is long with a slender snout. The upper and lower jaws are about equal. The anal fin originates a little behind the dorsal fin origin. There are no scales present, as in all galaxias

Golden-amber in colour with dark elliptical spots on the sides and back. The belly is silvery-grey in colour. The fins are amber to light orange with black edges on the dorsal, pelvic and anal fins

Commonly reaches 140 mm but can grow up to 240 mm in length

Found only in lakes Sorell and Crescent in central Tasmania. Although it is abundant in these two lakes, its limited distribution and threats from introduced species (carp, trout) and habitat degradation has caused it to be listed as threatened. It is one of the few galaxiid species that seems to be able to tolerate the presence of the predatory brown trout (Salmo trutta).

The golden galaxias is a purely freshwater species. It spawns during spring, depositing its eggs among rocks in the lake shallows

Found throughout lakes Sorell and Crescent but seems to prefer shallow margins with rocky habitat providing cover. Larvae are abundant in open water in late spring

Like other galaxiids, the golden galaxias is an opportunistic carnivore feeding on a range of aquatic insect larvae, molluscs and crustaceans

Predation and habitat degradation by introduced species (European carp, trout); low water levels; limited distribution