Brown mudfish
Encyclopedia
The brown mudfish, Neochanna apoda, is a galaxiid
of the genus
Neochanna
, endemic to New Zealand
, where it lives on the southwest coast of North Island
and on the northwest coast of the South Island
. Its length is up to 15 cm, and it can live to at least 7 years.
The dorsal
and anal fins of the brown mudfish are set well back before the caudal fin, nearly joining it.
It inhabits swampy areas that dry out for part of each year, where it aestivates in damp areas or under tree roots and logs until the next rains.
Galaxiid
The Galaxiidae, also known by the anglicised name as galaxiids, are a family of mostly small freshwater fish in the southern hemisphere. The majority of species live in Australia or New Zealand, some are also found in South Africa, South America, Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia and the Falkland...
of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Neochanna
Neochanna
Neochanna is a genus of six mudfish species, five restricted to New Zealand, and one to Tasmania.-Species:* Brown mudfish, Neochanna apoda Günther, 1867* Canterbury mudfish, Neochanna burrowsius...
, endemic to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, where it lives on the southwest coast of North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
and on the northwest coast of the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. Its length is up to 15 cm, and it can live to at least 7 years.
The dorsal
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
and anal fins of the brown mudfish are set well back before the caudal fin, nearly joining it.
It inhabits swampy areas that dry out for part of each year, where it aestivates in damp areas or under tree roots and logs until the next rains.