Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Black mudfish (Neochanna diversus), recorded as Endangered
Black mudfish (Neochanna diversus). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Black mudfish

Neochanna diversus

The waikaka or black mudfish is a fish of the family Galaxiidae, found only in swamps and wetlands in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand, from Kaitaia in the north to the Mōkau River in the south.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Neochanna diversus
Recorded from
New Zealand
Taxonomy
Osmeriformes · Galaxiidae · Neochanna

Appearance

N. Diversus is a blackish-grey galaxiid fish up to 12 cm long.

Range and habitat

N. Diversus is endemic to the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand, from Kaitaia in the north to the Mōkau River in the south. The species is found in wetlands and streams that have still or gently flowing waters. The waikaka or black mudfish is a fish of the family Galaxiidae, found only in swamps and wetlands in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand, from Kaitaia in the north to the Mōkau River in the south.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

In crisis

N. Diversus is listed as At Risk - Declining under the most recent assessment (2018) of the New Zealand Threatened Classification for fishes. The most significant threat is wetland drainage, and this has slowed so the decline has stabilized. Other threats include mosquitofish (that eat juveniles and compete with adults), pollution, sedimentation, and fires.

Black mudfish is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Black mudfish, Wikidata item Q44576. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Canterbury mudfish (Neochanna burrowsius), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Canterbury mudfish

Neochanna burrowsius
Photograph of Northland mudfish (Neochanna heleios), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Northland mudfish

Neochanna heleios
Photograph of Brown mudfish (Neochanna apoda), recorded as EndangeredEN

Brown mudfish

Neochanna apoda
Photograph of Tasmanian mudfish (Neochanna cleaveri), recorded as EndangeredEN

Tasmanian mudfish

Neochanna cleaveri

Quick answers

What is Black mudfish?
The waikaka or black mudfish is a fish of the family Galaxiidae, found only in swamps and wetlands in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand, from Kaitaia in the north to the Mōkau River in the south.
What is the conservation status of Black mudfish?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Neochanna diversus. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Black mudfish live?
The waikaka or black mudfish is a fish of the family Galaxiidae, found only in swamps and wetlands in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand, from Kaitaia in the north to the Mōkau River in the south.
Why is Black mudfish in crisis?
N. Diversus is listed as At Risk - Declining under the most recent assessment (2018) of the New Zealand Threatened Classification for fishes.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Neochanna diversus?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Black mudfish a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.