Story: Coarse fish

Swordtail (3rd of 3)

Swordtail

Swordtails are so named because the males have an elongated, sword-like tail. Like guppies and sailfin mollies, swordtails are small aquarium fish which have been released into geothermally heated waters. They are known in only one location – the Waipāhīhī Stream, which flows into Lake Taupō. However, a 1999 survey of the stream failed to find any, and so they may be extinct in the wild.

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Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries
Photograph by Glynn Aland

© The State of Queensland, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, 2007

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How to cite this page:

Bob McDowall, 'Coarse fish - Livebearers, catfish and perch', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/15732/swordtail (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Bob McDowall, published 24 Nov 2008