Ichthyological terms, not general ones.
An organism or group of organisms that exists as a remnant, typically belonging to a formerly abundant group in an environment much changed from that in which it originated; a surviving species from an otherwise extinct taxon.
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Natural, isolated, relict artesian springs found in arid, outback Queensland and South Australia. Water stored in deep aquifers seeps to the surface through fault lines in the rock, and the sediments and salts within the spring water form elevated mounds as it evaporates. Most such springs support marginal plant growth that help stabilise the sediment and provide shelter for animals. In South Australia mound springs form an arc of about 400km along the south-western edge of the Great Artesian Basin, although many have disappeared in the last 100 years as a result of water extraction.
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A region that has remained unaltered by a climatic change event and provides an area where relict species are able to survive; in aquaria the term is used to describe an aquarium or other container maintained within a larger system, usually displayed alongside or beneath it, where certain organisms that would not survive in the main aquarium can be maintained.