Giant kokopu
Galaxias argenteus
- Water temperature15°C
- Best monthsFebruary and April
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) StellaMcQ, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
About this species
The giant kōkopu is a threatened species of ray-finned fish in the genus Galaxias, found only in New Zealand. It can reach up to 58 cm (23 in) in length and 2.7 kg (6.0 lb) in weight, making it the largest species in the family Galaxiidae. It is a mainly lowland species, commonly found in slow-flowing streams, wetlands, lakes, and lagoons. Most populations have an amphidromous life cycle, with larvae going to sea soon after hatching and returning about four months later as small juveniles, 4.5–5 cm (1.8–2.0 in). Juvenile giant kōkopu form a small part of the annual whitebait catch.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Giant kōkopu”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 13 records
- February: 27 records
- March: 13 records
- April: 21 records
- May: 11 records
- June: 4 records
- July: 4 records
- August: 8 records
- September: 7 records
- October: 9 records
- November: 7 records
- December: 14 records
Depth and water temperature
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 15°C
Photos
(c) Blueether, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Andy McKay, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Andy McKay · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) nick_goldwater, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Christopher Stephens, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist 
(c) Andy McKay, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Zoe Anthony Quested, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Giant kokopu, Giant kōkopu, Maori trout
Names in 1 more languages
- Simplified Chinese
- 銀南乳魚
Other scientific names: Esox alepidotus, Esox argenteus, Galaxias alepidotus, Galaxias forsteri, Galaxias grandis, Galaxias kokopu
Similar species
Common GalaxiasGalaxias maculatus
Broad-finned GalaxiasGalaxias brevipinnis
Banded kokopuGalaxias fasciatus
Native TroutGalaxias truttaceus
Australian WhitebaitLovettia sealii
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 29 open-data records from 1963 to 1964.
- Species data updated November 2, 2026.
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