kakawai
1. (noun) dark-coloured variety of kōkopu, cockabully, Galaxias, whitebait - small, blunt-nosed, endemic freshwater fish that are slender, lack scales and carry a dorsal fin set far to the rear. There are at least 13 species in Aotearoa/New Zealand, including the banded kōkopu (Galaxias fasciatus). The juvenile form is called whitebait.
2. (noun) kōaro, Galaxias brevipinnis, whitebait - a small spotted freshwater fish dark greenish-brown to grey-brown in colour. The juvenile form is one of the five species called whitebait. Widespread throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand in clear, fast-flowing, cobble to boulder streams and rivers with forest cover.
