It vanishes in summer. Not literally, but the dwarf inanga becomes nearly invisible as water levels drop and vegetation thickens. This small non-migratory galaxiid reaches only 60 millimetres in length, making it one of New Zealand's smallest freshwater fish. Its slender body is coloured pale brown with irregular darker markings along the sides. Fourteen caudal fin rays distinguish it from similar species. The dusky has fourteen but differs in other morphological features and habitat preference. The dwarf inanga inhabits lowland streams and wetlands across the northern North Island. These waters flow slowly through pastoral land or native bush, bordered by dense vegetation that provides essential cover. Submerged plants offer hiding places from predators and spawning sites during spring months. Without this vegetation, the fish becomes visible to everything that hunts it. The habitat is shrinking as wetlands are drained and streams are modified for agriculture. Spawning occurs in spring. Eggs are laid amongst fine roots and submerged vegetation in shallow water. The larvae hatch and remain in freshwater, never migrating to sea. This non-diadromous life history means the species is entirely dependent on maintaining suitable freshwater habitat year-round. There is no marine phase to provide refuge if streams degrade. No ocean nursery exists to replenish populations lost to local extinction. Diet consists of aquatic insects and small crustaceans. The fish feeds on drifting prey caught in current or picked from plant surfaces. It is active during daylight hours, visible in clear water to researchers monitoring populations and predators hunting meals. This visibility aids conservation efforts but also makes the fish an easy target for introduced trout and kingfishers. Classified as Nationally Vulnerable, the dwarf inanga faces threats from multiple directions. Habitat loss through wetland drainage and stream modification removes the cover the fish needs. Introduced trout patrol the same waters, eating juvenile and adult dwarf inanga alike. Sediment from agricultural runoff smothers spawning vegetation. Water extraction reduces flows, concentrating predators and raising temperatures beyond tolerable limits. Each threat compounds the others. Remove the vegetation and the water warms. Warm the water and the trout thrive. Add sediment and the eggs suffocate. The dwarf inanga persists in shrinking pockets of suitable habitat, clinging to existence in streams that farmers drain and developers modify. Conservation efforts focus on protecting remaining populations through riparian planting, trout exclusion, and habitat restoration. But the window narrows with each passing season.