Earlier species list from 2021 here: National Aquarium (Napier) species list, March 2021 [National Aquarium of New Zealand]
This current 2024 list is basically the same, but with fewer species. Two small tanks have been removed - one a tropical freshwater community tank (none of the species retained elsewhere), and the other being the tank which held Banded Bichirs (these have been moved to the tank the Silver Dollars were in, and those have been moved to another tank). There are some "new" species however, with a few native marine invertebrates and fish added.
The Aquarium in general is looking pretty run-down, and I wouldn't be surprised if it closes in the future. Almost every article about it brings up closure as a possibility.
Note that most of the tanks have little in the way of signage, so the list is just the species I saw.
Species totals:
Birds: two species (Little Blue Penguin and North Island Brown Kiwi).
Reptiles: five species (Hawksbill Turtle, Red-eared Terrapin, Chinese Box Turtle, Eastern Water Dragon, and Tuatara).
Amphibians: three species (Japanese Fire-bellied Newt, and Southern and Golden Bell Frogs).
Fish: about 55 species.
Invertebrates: one species signed (Packhorse Crayfish), plus a few unsigned native marine species (Hermit Crabs, Cushion Stars, and Eleven-Arm Starfish), and also tropical Soft Corals which I did not try to identify.
.......................................................................
As in the 2021 species list I have arranged the following species lists by order of the displays. On that thread I included photos of every exhibit.
1)
African cichlids
An unhelpfully labelled tank, with only the vague identification effort of "African Cichlid" and "Malawi Cichlid" on the sign.
There are probably several species in here, but this group is so confusing that I have left them unidentified.
.......................................................................
2)
Pacu Piaractus brachypomus
(In 2021 there were also Silver Sharks in here)
3)
(Mostly the same species as in 2021)
Cigar Shark Leptobarbus rubripinna
Silver Shark Balantiocheilos melanopterus
Tinfoil Barb Barbonymus schwanenfeldii
Common Plecostomus (probably Pterygoplichthys pardalis)
Cactus Plecostomus Pseudacanthicus leopardus
Synodontis (Hemisynodontis) membranaceus (looking very much the worse for wear)
Silver Dollar Metynnis hypsauchen (not held in this tank in 2021)
(In 2021 there was another Synodontis in here which may have been S. pardalis, but I didn't see it in the tank this time)
.......................................................................
[The community tank in the 2021 list (number 4 in that thread) has been removed, and the species from that tank are no longer on display anywhere]
.......................................................................
4)
Blind Cave Tetra Astyanax mexicanus
(Only two individuals left)
.......................................................................
5)
Goldfish Carassius auratus
6)
Koi Carp Cyprinus carpio [C. rubrofuscus]
Grass Carp Ctenopharyngodon idella
.......................................................................
7)
Yellow-margined or Chinese Box Turtle Cuora flavomarginata
(There seems to be just one animal left)
.......................................................................
8)
Japanese Fire-bellied Newt Cynops pyrrhogaster
.......................................................................
9)
Banded Bichir Polypterus delhezi
(In 2021 this tank held Silver Dollars - now moved to another tank - and Swordtails. The smaller tank the Banded Bichirs were then in, has been removed)
Pleasingly, the bichirs have new signage which actually identifies them correctly.
New signage: Signage for Banded Bichir - ZooChat
Old "African lungfish" signage: Signage - ZooChat
.......................................................................
10)
Eastern Water Dragon Intellagama lesueurii
.......................................................................
11) Turtle tank
(The only signage on this tank was for the Red-eared Terrapins)
Red-eared Terrapin Trachemys scripta elegans
Pacu Piaractus brachypomus
Convict Cichlid Amatitlania nigrofasciata
African lake cichlid spp. [unidentified]
Tinfoil Barb Barbonymus schwanenfeldii
Common Plecostomus (probably Pterygoplichthys pardalis)
(Silver Dollars and Swordtails were in here in 2021 and probably still are, but I didn't see any)
.......................................................................
12) Reef tank
(The only signage was the original now-outdated sign)
White-spotted Puffer Arothron hispidus
African Mono Monodactylus sebae
Maroon Clownfish Premnas biaculeatus
Blue and Yellow Damselfish Pomacentrus coelestis
Purple (Yellowtail) Tang Zebrasoma xanthurum
Long-nosed Butterflyfish (Forceps Fish) Forcipiger flavissimus
Pacific Double-saddled Butterflyfish Chaetodon ulietensis
(Silver Mono Monodactylus argenteus and Red-toothed Triggerfish Odonus niger appeared to be gone now)
.......................................................................
13) Soft Coral tank
(There was no signage on this tank)
Powder-Blue Tang Acanthurus leucosternon
Sailfin Tang Zebrasoma veliferum
Yellow Tang Zebrasoma flavescens
Lemonpeel Angelfish Centropyge flavissima
Humbug (Three-striped) Damselfish Dascyllus aruanus
Fiji Blue Devil Damselfish Chrysiptera taupou
(Pyjama Cardinalfish Spaeramia nematoptera, Maroon Clownfish Premnas biaculeatus, and Pin-striped Wrasse Halichoeres sp. were not seen - the Pyjama Cardinalfish was an old fish and has probably died but the other two may have just been hiding amongst the rocks)
I haven't attempted to identify any of the soft corals.
.......................................................................
14)
Tuatara Sphenodon punctatus
.......................................................................
15) Kiwi House
North Island Brown Kiwi Apteryx mantelli
Giant Kokopu Galaxias argenteus
(This tank now has no signage [formerly there was a general sign for galaxiids]. The tank is poorly-lit - being inside the nocturnal Kiwi House - and the fish looked like they might all be Giant Kokopu but I'm not sure)
.......................................................................
16)
Little Blue Penguin Eudyptula minor
.......................................................................
17)
Southern Bell Frog Litoria raniformis
Golden Bell Frog Litoria aurea
(The tank is now signed for Golden Bell Frogs. In 2021 it just had general signage for native NZ frogs, and held Southern Bell Frogs)
.......................................................................
18)
Short-finned Eel Anguilla australis
(There is no specific signage on this tank)
.......................................................................
19)
Hawksbill Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata
Parore Girella tricuspidata
The turtle came to the Aquarium from Fiji in 1979 when it was the size of a dinner plate. Now it is sadly much too large for the tank in which it resides. The Parore is a native NZ marine fish. In 2021 there was also a large Red Pigfish Bodianus unimaculatus in this tank.
.......................................................................
20)
New Zealand or Large-bellied Seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis (Pot-bellied Seahorse to non-NZers)
21)
Yellow Moray Gymnothorax prasinus
Also unsigned Cushion Stars Patiriella regularis and Eleven-armed Starfish Coscinasterias calamaria in this tank.
.......................................................................
22) Rocky Shore
(The only signage here was for the crayfish)
Left side:
Red Moki Cheilodactylus spectabilis
Sweep Scorpis lineolata
Kelpfish (Hiwihiwi) Chironemus marmoratus
Hermit Crab
Right side:
Snapper Pagrus auratus
New Zealand Bluefish Girella cyanea
Packhorse Crayfish Sagmariasus verreauxi
.......................................................................
23) Pania Reef tank
(Just species seen - signage was limited to a single sheet of images which only partly corresponded to species in the tank and did not include scientific names)
Leatherjacket Parika scaber
Porcupinefish Tragulichthys (Allomycterus) jaculiferus
Red Gurnard Chelidonichthys kumu
Blue Cod Parapercis colias
Marblefish Aplodactylus arctidens
Red Moki Cheilodactylus spectabilis
Red Pigfish Bodianus unimaculatus
Blue Maomao Scorpis violacea
Sweep Scorpis lineolata
Yellowtail (Jack Mackerel) Trachurus novaezelandiae
Kingfish Seriola lalandi (young fish)
Scarlet Wrasse Pseudolabrus miles
Sandager's Wrasse Coris sandeyeri
Two-spot Demoiselle Chromis dispilus
New Zealand Black Angelfish Parma alboscapularis
.......................................................................
24) Oceanarium
The Oceanarium tunnel was closed for renovation. Presumably the species in there are the same as in 2021, although I know there are no sharks any more (the last ones were released in 2023 with no plans to replace them).
Through the back wall of the Pania Reef tank I did see the following fish swimming about in the Oceanarium tank:
Short-tailed Stingray Dasyatis brevicaudata
Groper (Hapuku) Polyprion oxygeneios
Snapper Pagrus auratus
Trevally Pseudocaranx dentex
Red Gurnard Chelidonichthys kumu
Kingfish Seriola lalandi
This current 2024 list is basically the same, but with fewer species. Two small tanks have been removed - one a tropical freshwater community tank (none of the species retained elsewhere), and the other being the tank which held Banded Bichirs (these have been moved to the tank the Silver Dollars were in, and those have been moved to another tank). There are some "new" species however, with a few native marine invertebrates and fish added.
The Aquarium in general is looking pretty run-down, and I wouldn't be surprised if it closes in the future. Almost every article about it brings up closure as a possibility.
Note that most of the tanks have little in the way of signage, so the list is just the species I saw.
Species totals:
Birds: two species (Little Blue Penguin and North Island Brown Kiwi).
Reptiles: five species (Hawksbill Turtle, Red-eared Terrapin, Chinese Box Turtle, Eastern Water Dragon, and Tuatara).
Amphibians: three species (Japanese Fire-bellied Newt, and Southern and Golden Bell Frogs).
Fish: about 55 species.
Invertebrates: one species signed (Packhorse Crayfish), plus a few unsigned native marine species (Hermit Crabs, Cushion Stars, and Eleven-Arm Starfish), and also tropical Soft Corals which I did not try to identify.
.......................................................................
As in the 2021 species list I have arranged the following species lists by order of the displays. On that thread I included photos of every exhibit.
1)
African cichlids
An unhelpfully labelled tank, with only the vague identification effort of "African Cichlid" and "Malawi Cichlid" on the sign.
There are probably several species in here, but this group is so confusing that I have left them unidentified.
.......................................................................
2)
Pacu Piaractus brachypomus
(In 2021 there were also Silver Sharks in here)
3)
(Mostly the same species as in 2021)
Cigar Shark Leptobarbus rubripinna
Silver Shark Balantiocheilos melanopterus
Tinfoil Barb Barbonymus schwanenfeldii
Common Plecostomus (probably Pterygoplichthys pardalis)
Cactus Plecostomus Pseudacanthicus leopardus
Synodontis (Hemisynodontis) membranaceus (looking very much the worse for wear)
Silver Dollar Metynnis hypsauchen (not held in this tank in 2021)
(In 2021 there was another Synodontis in here which may have been S. pardalis, but I didn't see it in the tank this time)
.......................................................................
[The community tank in the 2021 list (number 4 in that thread) has been removed, and the species from that tank are no longer on display anywhere]
.......................................................................
4)
Blind Cave Tetra Astyanax mexicanus
(Only two individuals left)
.......................................................................
5)
Goldfish Carassius auratus
6)
Koi Carp Cyprinus carpio [C. rubrofuscus]
Grass Carp Ctenopharyngodon idella
.......................................................................
7)
Yellow-margined or Chinese Box Turtle Cuora flavomarginata
(There seems to be just one animal left)
.......................................................................
8)
Japanese Fire-bellied Newt Cynops pyrrhogaster
.......................................................................
9)
Banded Bichir Polypterus delhezi
(In 2021 this tank held Silver Dollars - now moved to another tank - and Swordtails. The smaller tank the Banded Bichirs were then in, has been removed)
Pleasingly, the bichirs have new signage which actually identifies them correctly.
New signage: Signage for Banded Bichir - ZooChat
Old "African lungfish" signage: Signage - ZooChat
.......................................................................
10)
Eastern Water Dragon Intellagama lesueurii
.......................................................................
11) Turtle tank
(The only signage on this tank was for the Red-eared Terrapins)
Red-eared Terrapin Trachemys scripta elegans
Pacu Piaractus brachypomus
Convict Cichlid Amatitlania nigrofasciata
African lake cichlid spp. [unidentified]
Tinfoil Barb Barbonymus schwanenfeldii
Common Plecostomus (probably Pterygoplichthys pardalis)
(Silver Dollars and Swordtails were in here in 2021 and probably still are, but I didn't see any)
.......................................................................
12) Reef tank
(The only signage was the original now-outdated sign)
White-spotted Puffer Arothron hispidus
African Mono Monodactylus sebae
Maroon Clownfish Premnas biaculeatus
Blue and Yellow Damselfish Pomacentrus coelestis
Purple (Yellowtail) Tang Zebrasoma xanthurum
Long-nosed Butterflyfish (Forceps Fish) Forcipiger flavissimus
Pacific Double-saddled Butterflyfish Chaetodon ulietensis
(Silver Mono Monodactylus argenteus and Red-toothed Triggerfish Odonus niger appeared to be gone now)
.......................................................................
13) Soft Coral tank
(There was no signage on this tank)
Powder-Blue Tang Acanthurus leucosternon
Sailfin Tang Zebrasoma veliferum
Yellow Tang Zebrasoma flavescens
Lemonpeel Angelfish Centropyge flavissima
Humbug (Three-striped) Damselfish Dascyllus aruanus
Fiji Blue Devil Damselfish Chrysiptera taupou
(Pyjama Cardinalfish Spaeramia nematoptera, Maroon Clownfish Premnas biaculeatus, and Pin-striped Wrasse Halichoeres sp. were not seen - the Pyjama Cardinalfish was an old fish and has probably died but the other two may have just been hiding amongst the rocks)
I haven't attempted to identify any of the soft corals.
.......................................................................
14)
Tuatara Sphenodon punctatus
.......................................................................
15) Kiwi House
North Island Brown Kiwi Apteryx mantelli
Giant Kokopu Galaxias argenteus
(This tank now has no signage [formerly there was a general sign for galaxiids]. The tank is poorly-lit - being inside the nocturnal Kiwi House - and the fish looked like they might all be Giant Kokopu but I'm not sure)
.......................................................................
16)
Little Blue Penguin Eudyptula minor
.......................................................................
17)
Southern Bell Frog Litoria raniformis
Golden Bell Frog Litoria aurea
(The tank is now signed for Golden Bell Frogs. In 2021 it just had general signage for native NZ frogs, and held Southern Bell Frogs)
.......................................................................
18)
Short-finned Eel Anguilla australis
(There is no specific signage on this tank)
.......................................................................
19)
Hawksbill Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata
Parore Girella tricuspidata
The turtle came to the Aquarium from Fiji in 1979 when it was the size of a dinner plate. Now it is sadly much too large for the tank in which it resides. The Parore is a native NZ marine fish. In 2021 there was also a large Red Pigfish Bodianus unimaculatus in this tank.
.......................................................................
20)
New Zealand or Large-bellied Seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis (Pot-bellied Seahorse to non-NZers)
21)
Yellow Moray Gymnothorax prasinus
Also unsigned Cushion Stars Patiriella regularis and Eleven-armed Starfish Coscinasterias calamaria in this tank.
.......................................................................
22) Rocky Shore
(The only signage here was for the crayfish)
Left side:
Red Moki Cheilodactylus spectabilis
Sweep Scorpis lineolata
Kelpfish (Hiwihiwi) Chironemus marmoratus
Hermit Crab
Right side:
Snapper Pagrus auratus
New Zealand Bluefish Girella cyanea
Packhorse Crayfish Sagmariasus verreauxi
.......................................................................
23) Pania Reef tank
(Just species seen - signage was limited to a single sheet of images which only partly corresponded to species in the tank and did not include scientific names)
Leatherjacket Parika scaber
Porcupinefish Tragulichthys (Allomycterus) jaculiferus
Red Gurnard Chelidonichthys kumu
Blue Cod Parapercis colias
Marblefish Aplodactylus arctidens
Red Moki Cheilodactylus spectabilis
Red Pigfish Bodianus unimaculatus
Blue Maomao Scorpis violacea
Sweep Scorpis lineolata
Yellowtail (Jack Mackerel) Trachurus novaezelandiae
Kingfish Seriola lalandi (young fish)
Scarlet Wrasse Pseudolabrus miles
Sandager's Wrasse Coris sandeyeri
Two-spot Demoiselle Chromis dispilus
New Zealand Black Angelfish Parma alboscapularis
.......................................................................
24) Oceanarium
The Oceanarium tunnel was closed for renovation. Presumably the species in there are the same as in 2021, although I know there are no sharks any more (the last ones were released in 2023 with no plans to replace them).
Through the back wall of the Pania Reef tank I did see the following fish swimming about in the Oceanarium tank:
Short-tailed Stingray Dasyatis brevicaudata
Groper (Hapuku) Polyprion oxygeneios
Snapper Pagrus auratus
Trevally Pseudocaranx dentex
Red Gurnard Chelidonichthys kumu
Kingfish Seriola lalandi
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