These pages provide an overview of the freshwater fish found in New Zealand, fact sheets for each individual species and links to other resources.
The fact sheets provide some information on each species and a map of their known, and expected (i.e. modelled) geographic distributions. Many species spend part of their life at sea and then migrate upriver, but how far they penetrate upriver varies greatly. A plot of the known distribution relative to the distance upriver and altitude is provided to illustrate where species can be expected to occur.
To access and download information on individual species, go to the Fish Finder and select the species from the menus. If you want more information on New Zealand freshwater fish fauna, a bibliography of key publications is provided along with links to other websites that deal with New Zealand's freshwater fish fauna.
- An overview of New Zealand's freshwater fish fauna
- List of freshwater fish species
- Fish finder [Please note: our fish finder database is undergoing maintenance and updating, so some species information may not be available through these links at present.]
- Key to freshwater fish families
- Bibliography for freshwater fish in New Zealand
- Map of New Zealand rivers
Related links
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Freshwater Eels
FRESHWATER EELS (Anguillidae) Freshwater eels occur in Europe, on the east coast of North America, and throughout the eastern Pacific and Indian Oceans. There are about 16 species in total. Most New Zealanders are familiar with this fish and know what eels look like. However, not everyone is aware that there are two distinct Anguillidae species native to this country, the longfin eel and the shortfin eel. A third eel species, the Australian longfin eel, has recently been discovered in the Waikato River, and may have colonised other river systems in New Zealand. -
Fish Finder
Click on a family, species or common name to learn more about that fish and its distribution. -
Glossary
Some of the terms used in this atlas may be unfamiliar to amateur biologists, and so I provide this glossary. -
Carps
CARPS (Cyprinidae) The Cyprinidae family is one of the largest of the freshwater fish families with about 1450 known species. None are native to New Zealand, but several species have been introduced here. Generally carp have large scales, small barbels around their mouth, and no adipose fin. There are many exceptions to this, however, as might be expected in such a large family. -
Bullies
Bullies (Eleotridae)
Redfin Bully
Members of the bully family occupy marine and fresh waters in the tropical Pacific and southeast Asia. There is just one freshwater genera in New Zealand, Gobiomorphus, with seven species: Gobiomorphus alpinus (Tarndale bully) Gobiomorphus basalis (Crans bully) Gobiomorphus breviceps (upland bully) Gobiomorphus cotidianus (common bully) Gobiomorphus gobioides (giant bully) Gobiomorphus hubbsi (bluegill bully) Gobiomorphus huttoni (redfin bully) Bullies have rounded tails, two dorsal fins, a blunt head, and are quite stocky. -
Galaxiidae
Whitebait and mudfish (Galaxiidae) The Galaxiidae family is the largest family of freshwater fishes in New Zealand; there are about 26 species present here which have been divided into two genera, the galaxiids (Galaxias spp.) and the mudfish (Neochanna spp.). Galaxiidae occur throughout the southern hemisphere - in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Chile, and Argentina. The family contains some species that are widespread and familiar to most New Zealanders, e.g. the 5 whitebait species, but other species are less well known with very restricted distributions, e.g. -
Mackinaw
Mackinaw (Salvelinus namaycush)
This member of the Salmonidae family occurs naturally throughout the north of the United States and in Canada and Alaska. A single importation of eggs occurred in 1906, and these fish were destined for Lake Kaniere on the west coast. However, when their transport ran into difficulties crossing Arthurs Pass, the fish were dumped into Lakes Grasmere and Pearson in the Waimakariri River catchment. -
Other Poeciliidae
Other live bearers (Phallocerus caudimaculatus, Poecilia latipinna, P. reticulata, Xiphophorus helleri) In addition to mosquitofish, there are four other species of Poeciliidae in New Zealand. As all of these have a very restricted distribution, they have been combined for this discussion. They are all popular aquarium species (who has not heard of the guppy) and probably came to be released by aquarists either tired of looking after their fish or eager to establish feral populations in New Zealand. -
Poeciliidae
LIVE BEARERS (Poeciliidae) As the common name of this family implies, the Poeciliidae are characterised by giving birth to live young. Other family characteristics include a single soft-rayed dorsal fin and no lateral line. On male poeciliids, the anal fin has evolved into a structure known as a gonopodium that is used to transfer sperm bundles to the female fish. -
Salmonidae
Salmon, Trout and Char (Salmonidae) The Salmonidae family is native to the Northern Hemisphere, but several species have been introduced to New Zealand. Some of these species, particularly brown and rainbow trout, have established very successfully here and support New Zealand’s reputation as an angling Eldorado.
