Northland mudfish
| Northland mudfish | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type specimen from Te Papa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Division: | Teleostei |
| Order: | Galaxiiformes |
| Family: | Galaxiidae |
| Genus: | Neochanna |
| Species: | N. heleios |
| Binomial name | |
| Neochanna heleios Ling & Gleeson, 2001 | |
 | |
| Approximate known distribution (in orange) of the Northland mudfish on a map of the North Island | |
The Northland mudfish (Neochanna heleios)[1] is a galaxiid of the genus Neochanna, found only in swampy locations west of the Bay of Islands in Northland, New Zealand. Its length is up to 134 millimetres (5.3 in).
In 2026, the Northland mudfish won the New Zealand Fish of the Year competition.[2]
Etymology
Heleios means "marsh dwelling". Neochanna is a compound word of neo, meaning new, and channa, meaning anchovy.
References
- ↑ "Neochanna heleios, Northland mudfish".
- ↑ Graaf, Peter de (17 March 2026). "Mudfish pulls off last-minute upset to claim Fish of the Year 2026". RNZ News. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Neochanna heleios". FishBase. March 2006 version.
- NIWA June 2006
- Royal Society of NZ