Species
Other animals
A range of invertebrates, lizards, fish, moths and other creatures can be found across Chatham Island ecosystems.
It can be too easy to forget about these species. They're often very small and hard to spot, and haven't had the same PR that some larger creatures have received. However, they've evolved to fill valuable niches in our environment and can be critical to long-term ecosystem health. They're also fascinating creatures in their own right, and many are quite beautiful.
All our freshwater fishes are indigenous, and include longfin and shortfine eel, two species of bully, a lamprey, and five species of galaxiid fish: giant kokopū, banded kokopū, koaro, and inanga.
Red admiral Image: DOC Eric Edwards
Invertebrates
Rangatira spider at night
The forests, peatlands and waterways of the Chathams would once have been busy with insect life. Around 800 species have been recorded living here today, with 20% of these being endemic to the island. Habitat loss and introduced predators have reduced their numbers. A total of 32 invertebrates are now endangered and mainly survive on the offshore islands, and 14% of Aotearoa's threatened and at-risk beetles can be found here.
Endangered and unique invertebrates include the Rangatira spider, Chathams giant click beetle, soft speargrass weevil, and Pitt Island longhorn. There are also a variety of interesting moths, weta, spiders and beetles. The iconic red admiral butterfly can still be found on main Chatham.
Insects play an important part in maintaining ecosystems. They pollinate, help keep soil healthy, recycle nutrients, keep the population numbers of their food sources in check, and in turn are a very important source of food for other species.
Chatham Islands mudfish
Rarely seen and barely known, we wanted to give a special shout out for our islands' only mudfish. They've only been found at four sites, which means there's a high risk we could lose them if these habitats are modified or destroyed.
This mudfish was discovered in 1994 in Lake Tuku a Taupo, with three more populations found in the following year.
We still don't know much about their breeding habits, favourite food, or even whether their four locations are connected by waterways. The Department of Conservation has been involved in surveys to try and learn more about these fish, and the University of Otago is currently running a research project.
Chatham Island mudfish Image: DOC