NZ fish classification

Environment - Fishes, Systematic List

Here are all the freshwater and sea fishes of New Zealand. If you want to see what they look like, click on their group name. Those underlined have been entered already.

For completeness, this list also contains freshwater species of New Zealand. The underlined (linked) groups have been documented in detail.

Use the Find option of your browser to quickly find what you want

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Class

Order

Family

Genus - (common name), Endemic species in red

Agnatha - Jawless fishes

Eptattetridae - hagfishes. hagfish.
Geotriidae - lampreys: lamprey

Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes

Selachiformes - Sharks and dogfishes

Hexanchidae - Sixgill sharks: sixgill shark, broadsnouted sevengill shark, sharpsnouted sevengill shark,

Heterodontidae - Horn or Bullhead sharks: Port Jackson shark,

Odontaspididae - Sand tiger sharks: sand tiger shark,
Isuridae - Mackerel sharks: Porbeagle shark, mako shark, great white shark,
Cetorhinidae - Basking sharks: basking shark,
Alopidae - Thresher sharks: thresher shark,
Scyliorhinidae - Catsharks: carpet shark, Dawsons catshark, deepwater catshark
Triakidae - Smooth-hounds: spotted smooth-hound, slender smooth-hound,
Carcharinidae - Requiem sharks: school shark, tiger shark, blue shark, bronze whaler shark,
Sphyrnidae - Hammerhead sharks: hammerhead shark,
Squalidae - Spiny dogfishes: prickly dogfish, grey spiny dogfish, shovelnose spiny sogfish, Plunkets shark, Owstons spiny dogfish, deepwater dogfish,

Rajiformes - Skates and rays

Torpedinidae - Electric rays: electric ray
Narkidae - Blind electric rays: blind electric ray
Rajidae - True skates: rough skate, smooth skate, Richardsons deepsea skate, deepsea skate, prickly deepsea skate, long-tailed skate
Dasyatidae - Stingrays: short-tailed stingray, long-tailed stingray
Myliobatididae - Eagle rays: eagle ray
Mobulidae - Manta rays: manta ray
Callorhynchidae - Elephant fishes: elephant fish
Chimaeridae - Ghost sharks: dark ghost shark, pale ghost shark
Rhinochimaeridae - Long-nosed chimaeras: long-nosed chimaera

Osteichthyes - Bony fishes

Anguilliformes - Eels

Anguillidae - freshwater eels: longfinned eel, shortfinned eel
Muraenidae - Moray eels: yellow moray, grey moray, mottled moray, speckled moray, mosaic moray
Nemichthydiae - Snipe eels:
Synaphobranchidae - Cut-throat eels:
Ophichtidae - Snake eels: snake eel, longfinned worm eel.
Congridae - Conger eels: common conger, northern conger, silver conger, umbrella conger , swollenhead conger, hairy conger, garden eel

Clupeiformes - Herrings, Sardines, Sprats

Clupeidae - Herrings or sardines: sprat, pilchard
Engraulididae - Anchovies: anchovy,

Gonorynchiformes -

Gonorynchidae - Sand fishes: sand fish

Cypriniformes - Carps

Cyprinidae - Carps: goldfish, grass carp, silver carp, rudd, tench

Salmoniformes - Salmon, trout

Argentinidae - Silversides: silverside
Galaxiidae - Whitebait: giant kokopu, koaro, dwarf kokopu, banded kokopu, dwarf inanga, inanga, alpine kokopu, shortjawed kokopu, longjawed kokopu, river kokopu, brown mudfish, canterbury mudfish, black mudfish
Salmonidae - Salmon and trout: sockeye salmon, quinnat salmon, rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon, brown trout, brook char, mackinaw

Stomiiformes -
Aulopiformes -

Synodontidae - Lizardfishes: common lizardfish, lavender lizardfish, deepsea lizardfish
Paralepipidae - Barracudinas:

Myctophiformes -
Gadiformes - Cods

Moridae - Morid cods: ahuru, red cod, northern bastard red cod, southern bastard red cod, rock cod,
Gadidae - True cods: southern blue whiting, rockling,
Merluciidae - Hakes: hake, hoki,

Gobiesociformes - Clingfishes

Gobiesocidae - Clingfishes: urchin clingfish, orange clingfish, striped clingfish, lumpfish

Cyprinodontiformes - halfbeaks

Exocoetidae - Flying fishes: flying fish
Hemiramphidae - Halfbeaks, garfishes: piper
Belonidae - Needlefishes: needle fish
Scomberesocidae - Sauries: saury

Lampriformes

Lampridae - Opahs: moonfish,
Lophotidae - Crested Band Fishes: crested band fish

Beryciformes -

Trachichthyidae - Roughys: common roughy, slender roughy, orange roughy, silver roughy
Bericidae - Alfonsinos: golden snapper, alfonsino
Holocentridae - Squirrelfishes: squirrelfish

Zeiformes - Dories

Zeidae - Dories: john dory, mirror dory, capro dory, silver dory
Oreosomatidae - Oreo dories: smooth oreo, spiky oreo, warty oreo

Syngnathiformes -

Macrorhamphosidae - Snipefishes: long-nosed snipefish, snipefish, banded bellowsfish, crested bellowsfish
Syngnathidae - Pipefishes and seahorses: short-snouted pipefish, long-snouted pipefish, spiny sea dragon, seahorse

Scorpaeniformes -

Scorpaenidae - Scorpion fishes: scorpionfish, sea perch
Gongiopodidae - Pigfishes: southern pigfish,
Triglidae - Gurnards: red gurnard, spotted gurnard, scaly gurnard
Cottidae - Sculpins:

Perciformes -

Percichthyidae - temperate basses: hapuku, bass,
Serranidae - Groupers and sea perches: spotted black groper, yellowbanded perch, toadstool groper, redbanded perch, halfbanded perch, orange perch, pink maomao, butterfly perch, splendid perch
Grammistidae - Soapfishes: gold ribbon groper
Acanthoclinidae - Rockfishes: rockfish
Labracoglossidae - Knifefishes: blue knifefish, grey knifefish
Echeneididae - Remoras: shark sucker, slender remora, grey marlinsucker, hardfin marlinsucker
Carangidae - Jacks: trevally, koheru, jackmackerel, NZ horse mackerel, kingfish, samsonfish, pilotfish
Coryphaenidae - Dolphinfishes: dolphinfish
Bramidae - Pomfrets: rays bream,
Arripidae - Kahawais: kahawai,
Emmelichthyidae - bonnetmouths: red bait, ruby fish
Sparidae - Sea breams: snapper,
Mullidae - Goatfishes: goatfish, blackspot goatfish, bar-tailed goatfish, yellow goatfish, red mullet
Pempherididae - Bigeyes: bigeye
Kyphosidae - Drummers: silver drummer, parore, bluefish, blue maomao, sweep, mado
Chaetodontidae - Butterfly fishes: Lord Howe coralfish
Pentacerotidae - Boarfishes: long-finned boarfish, giant boarfish, striped boarfish, yellow boarfish
Pomacentridae - Damselfishes: two-spot demoiselle, one-spot demoiselle, yellow demoiselle, black angelfish,
Chironemidae - Kelpfishes: hiwihiwi kelpfish
Aplodactylidae - Marblefishes: marblefish, notch-head marblefish
Cheilodactylidae - Morwongs: porae, tarakihi, red moki, painted moki, magpie morwong, red morwong
Latrididae - Trumpeters: blue moki, copper moki, common trumpeter, telescope fish,
Mugilidae - Mullets: grey mullet, yellow-eyed mullet
Sphyraenidae - Barracudas: pike barracude, snook
Labridae - Wrasses: red pigfish, NZ fox fish, spotty, banded wrasse, scarlet wrasse, orange wrasse, green wrasse, girdled wrasse, crimson cleanerfish, rainbow fish, Sandagers wrasse, combfish,
Odacidae - Butter fishes: butterfish, blue-finned butterfish
Bovichthyidae - Thornfishes: thornfish
Nototheniidae - Icefishes, Antarctic cods: Maori chief, black cod, small-scaled notothenid
Uranoscopidae - Armoured stargazers: giant stargazer, spotted stargazer, brown stargazer,
Leptoscopidae - Stargazers: estuarine stargazer, sand stargazer
Pinguipedidae- Weevers, sandperches: blue cod, redbanded weever
>>>>>??Creediidae - Sand divers: sand diver, long-finned sand diver
Trypterygiidae - Triplefins: spectacled triplefin, longfinned triplefin, variable triplefin, blue-eyed triplefin, common triplefin, Yaldwyn triplefin, mottled triplefin, yellow and black triplefin, oblique swimming triplefin, scalyheaded triplefin, blue dot triplefin, twister, topknot
Clinidae - Weedfishes: crested weedfish, orange clinid
Blenniidae - Blennies: crested blenny, mimic blenny
Eleotrididae - Slepers, bullies: Grahams gudgeon, Cran's bully, upland bully, common bully, blue gilled bully, redfin bully
Gobiidae - Gobies: black goby, Grahams gudgeon
Gemphylidae - Snake mackerels: barracouta, black barracouta, gemfish, oilfish
Trichiuridae - Cutlass fishes: frostfish
Scombridae - Tunas and mackerels: blue mackerel, skipjack tuna, albacore tuna, yellowfin tuna, southern bluefin tuna, bigeye tuna, frigate tuna, slender tuna, Australian bonito, butterfly tuna
Xiphiidae - Swordfishes: broadbill swordfish,
Luvaridae - Louvars: louvar
Istiophoridae - Billfishes: striped marlin, shortbill spearfish, blue marlin, black marlin, sailfish
Centrolophidae - Warehous: common warehou, silver warehou, white warehou, blue-nose warehou, rudderfish, ragfish

Pleuronectiformes - Flatfishes

Bothidae - Lefteyed flounders: witch, crested flounder, finless flounder
Pleuronectidae - Right-eye flounders: yellow-belly flounder, sand flounder, greenback flounder, black flounder, brill, turbot, lemon sole, NZ sole, spotted flounder
Soleidae - True soles:

Tetraodontiformes -

Monacanthidae - Triggerfishes: leatherjacket,
Tetraodontidae - Pufferfishes: clown toado, globefish, green pufferfish, starry toado
Diodontidae - Porcupine fishes: porcupine fish
Molidae - Sunfishes: ocean sunfish

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