New Zealand Native Freshwater Fauna

Many thanks to Stella McQueen for providing the data and many of the images for this page. Make sure you purchase her book The New Zealand Native Freshwater Aquarium if you wish to find out more information about keeping these fish.

Special acknowledgment also to Bob McDowell for his extensive work with New Zealand Natives – the source for much of this data.

Shortfin Eel

The Shortfin eel is a light to dark olive colour. The head and eyes are small and the nostrils tubular. Females are larger than the males, reaching up to 120cm in length compared to around 60cm...

Shortjaw Kokopu

With a slightly pointed head, undercut jaw and oddly 'doleful' eyes (seriously!) the Shortjaw kokopu is a brownish/olivish, sometime with orange tinting and indistinct mottling colour. Commonly...

Spotted Eel

With a long and tubular highly flexible body and small head and eyes with tubular nostrils the Spotted eel is an olive green or brownish colour and is distinctly spotty with darker markings....

Torrentfish

The Torrentfish has a very stiff and solid, yet streamlined body with varying colouration; grey, salt and pepper or browny-orange. The head is very tapered in profile and wide based, with the jaw...

Upland Bully

Sandy brown in colour, with pale orange spots on the face, the male Upland bully has a blunt, bulbous head. The body shape is stock (esp. male) and stiff. This fish often reaches 8cm in length and...