---
title: "New Zealand Longfin Eel"
description: "Anguilla dieffenbachii — Pesci. The New Zealand longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii) is a species of freshwater eel that is endemic to New Zealand."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/it/animal/new-zealand-longfin-eel
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# New Zealand Longfin Eel

> Anguilla dieffenbachii — Pesci. The New Zealand longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii) is a species of freshwater eel that is endemic to New Zealand.

- Scientific name: *Anguilla dieffenbachii*
- Category: `fish` (Pesci)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Laghi e fiumi)
- iNaturalist observations: 2360
- Wikidata: [Q614800](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q614800)
- iNaturalist taxon: [123760](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/123760)

## Names

- en: New Zealand Longfin Eel
- de: Neuseeländischer Langflossenaal
- es: Anguila de Nueva Zelanda
- fr: Anguille de Nouvelle-Zélande
- nl: Nieuw-Zeelandse paling

## Countries with the most observations

NZ (1626)

## Summary

The New Zealand longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii) is a species of freshwater eel that is endemic to New Zealand. It is the largest freshwater eel in New Zealand and the only endemic species – the other eels found in New Zealand are the native shortfin eel (Anguilla australis), also found in Australia, and the naturally introduced Australian longfin eel (Anguilla reinhardtii). Longfin eels are long-lived, migrating to an unknown site in the tropical Pacific Ocean to breed at the end of their lives. They are good climbers as juveniles and so are found in streams and lakes a long way inland. An important traditional…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_longfin_eel

## Photo

![New Zealand Longfin Eel](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/new-zealand-longfin-eel/medium.jpg)

Photo: marc-nz · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5449958

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/new-zealand-longfin-eel?lang=it` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).