Synopsis
Diel and spatial differences in distribution were determined for the larvae, juveniles, and adults of Galaxias gracilis (Galaxiidae) in a New Zealand dune lake during summer months. Larvae (mostly 10–25 mm TL) and juveniles (25–40 mm TL) inhabited shallow (0–3 m) waters of the limnetic zone and fed predominantly on two limnetic zooplankton species; Bosmina meridionalis and a calanoid copepod. At about 40 mm TL, fish moved from the limnetic to the littoral zone and expanded dietary breadth from two to over seven main prey species, including five species of littoral invertebrates. After reaching a size of about 60 mm TL, most fish moved back offshore to the deeper waters (5–15 m) of the limnetic zone during the day, moving back to the littoral zone at night to feed on invertebrates. The selection of different intra-lacustrine habitats by the various size groups of G. gracilis, and the movements between them, are interpreted as adaptive responses to the interaction between ontogenetic changes in feeding requirements and predation risk.
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Rowe, D.K., Chisnall, B.L. Ontogenetic habitat shifts by Galaxias gracilis (Galaxiidae) between the littoral and limnetic zones of Lake Kanono, New Zealand. Environ Biol Fish 46, 255–264 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00005001
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00005001