Neochanna rekohua (Mitchell, 1995)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Chatham mudfish (Neochanna rekohua), formerly known as the Chathams galaxias (Galaxias rekohua), is a galaxiid fish endemic to two small, peaty lakes in southern Chatham Island, New Zealand. It was discovered in 1994 by Charles P. Mitchell, who initially placed it in the genus Galaxias, and gave it the species name rekohua after the Moriori word for the Chatham Islands. In 2004, R.M. McDowall reassigned it to Neochanna based on its external anatomy, behaviour, and skeleton, and this was subsequently supported by a genetic analysis. The Chatham mudfish is the most Galaxias-like of all the mudfishes, with a short body and small pelvic fins, and is closely related to the Canterbury mudfish. Neochanna rekohua averages 75 mm (3.0 in) (though the largest individuals can reach 175 mm (6.9 in), and is a dark mottled brown. It only lives on the edges of a few peaty lakes amongst submerged wood, so is naturally uncommon, but abundant in the few spots where it occurs. As of 2014, the IUCN indicated that the Chatham mudfish was a least-concern species.
Wikipedia contributors, Chatham mudfish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:18:43.772621+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Neochanna rekohua (Mitchell, 1995)
- Name authority
- (Mitchell, 1995)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Galaxiiformes
- Family
- Galaxiidae
- Genus
- Neochanna
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderGalaxiiformes
- familyGalaxiidae Müller, 1845
- subfamilyGalaxiinae Müller, 1845
- genusNeochanna Günther, 1867
- speciesNeochanna rekohua (Mitchell, 1995)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Neochanna. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Neochanna burrowsius (Phillipps, 1926) | GalaxiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neochanna cleaveri (Scott, 1934) | GalaxiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neochanna apoda Günther, 1867 | GalaxiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neochanna diversus Stokell, 1949 | GalaxiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neochanna heleios Ling & Gleeson, 2001 | GalaxiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Galaxias rekohua Mitchell, 1995 Mitchell, 1995 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1010874 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:46CN3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.