'White spotted greyling', 1889
Acknowledgements
Copyright Reproduced courtesy of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Creator
F E Clarke, artist, 1889
Identifiers
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa number 1992-35-2278/1
TLF resource R4414
Source
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, http://www.tepapa.govt.nz
Description
This is a watercolour of the New Zealand grayling ('Prototroctes oxyrhynchus') by the flora and fauna
artist F E Clarke (1849-99), made in 1889. The fish, also known as upokororo, is long and slim with
slivery-blue hues on the underside. Yellow-brown shades on the back, head and tail fin pattern into
spots along the back. The words 'White Spotted Greyling. (Nat: Size) (Prototroctes Saleii) Hokitika R.
26th Octr 1889' are written beneath the image. It measures 12 cm x 27 cm.
Educational value




This asset illustrates the once-abundant New Zealand grayling, which is now extinct - apart
from four specimens at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, there are fewer
than a dozen museum examples in the world.
It is the only reliable clue to the fish's colouring - it has been described variously as silvery with
slightly brown hues on the back, as a rich red-brown speckled with grey, and as a golden
yellow; this lack of exact information is presumably due to the fact that specimens preserved
in formalin or alcohol lose their colour.
It illustrates a fish about which little is known - it lived in streams and estuaries, where it
grazed on algae, grew to 45 cm and weighed up to 1.5 kg; like other native species, the fish
probably grew and spawned in fresh water and then, as newly hatched larvae, were washed
out to sea to live for several months.
It illustrates a species that was a valuable food source for Māori, who caught it in long woven
traps called hīnaki.


It illustrates a species that became extinct following European settlement - the grayling was
widespread in the early years of settlement, and was even used as bulk fertiliser on market
gardens, but by the late 1870s numbers were declining, and by 1930 it was considered
extinct; the introduction of trout almost certainly contributed to its disappearance, combined
with the clearing of vegetation along rivers, resulting in increased light penetration and raised
water temperatures.
It illustrates a species that is misnamed - it was not related to the European or US grayling,
but belonged in a separate family, together with one other Australian species.
© Curriculum Corporation and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, 2006, except where
indicated under Acknowledgements
Conditions of Use for digital resources from the Te Papa TLF collection
Introduction
1. This material (Content) is made available by The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and by
The Le@rning Federation (TLF) to educational bodies and cultural institutions in Australia and New
Zealand (Education Bodies). TLF is managed by Curriculum Corporation. The TLF initiative is a
collaboration between the governments of Australia and New Zealand. This summary (Conditions of
Use) is provided to assist You (educators and learners using the Content) to understand what is
permitted and what is not permitted to be done with the Content. The Content includes:
–
–
content provided by The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in the form of a digital image.
Copyright in this content is owned by The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and other
parties as shown in the Acknowledgements.
TLF Content. This is content developed by TLF. It is the associated description, educational value
statements and transcript (if applicable).
3. These Conditions of Use include:
–
–
the General Conditions
the Special Conditions (if any).
4. Where they are different, the Special Conditions supersede the General Conditions.
General conditions of use
5. You may Use the Content for ordinary Education activities for the purpose of teaching and learning in
Australia and New Zealand.
6. By ‘Use’ we mean you can:
 read, view, play, perform or operate the Content (depending on its nature and format), within the
functionality that is offered
 make Copies of the Content
 communicate the Content for the purpose of teaching and learning, eg by placing it on an intranet
 include the Content in material provided to a Student or created by a Student.
7. You must not provide Copies of, or display, the Content to the public generally, eg on a public website.
8. You must not sell the Content or use or exploit it for any commercial purpose.
9. You must not do anything with the Content which would:
 infringe the Moral Rights of the creator
 be misleading or deceptive.
10. Where You Use Content in accordance with the Licence, You do not need to comply with the
requirements of any statutory licence (eg, pay royalties to a copyright collecting society such as
Copyright Agency Limited, CAL) for that Content.
11. You must not interfere with any Electronic Rights Management Information.
12. You must not alter or modify the Content, other than to:


modify the description and educational value statement text to meet your teaching and
requirements
link or embed the digital file into a lesson or sequence of activities.
Special conditions of use
13. You may Use the Content until end 17 October 2015.
learning
Glossary
14. Capitalised expressions in these Conditions of Use have the following meanings:
means a reproduction of the Content in the same or a different medium, but without any
other alteration.
Examples:
Copy
–
–
–
printing out a web page that has been downloaded to a browser
converting an image between different formats such as TIF, BMP, JPEG, etc
resizing an image to suit the space available or the device on which it is displayed or
printed.
means:
Education
–
–
–
a structured program of learning and/or teaching for the benefit of a Student
a public educational program and/or
professional development and preparation activities for either of the above.
means information that:
Electronic
Rights
Management
Information
–
–
identifies the Content, the author and/or copyright owner, including the
Acknowledgments statement
indicates conditions on which the Content may be used, including these Conditions
of Use.
includes the following rights of a creator of Content:
Moral Rights
–
–
–
the right to be attributed (or credited) for their work
the right not to have their Content treated in a derogatory way
the right not to have authorship falsely attributed.
Student
includes a parent, guardian or tutor assisting a Student in connection with their
Education.
TLF Content
means content developed by or for TLF. Copyright in TLF Content is owned by
Curriculum Corporation. This includes the associated description, educational value
statements and transcript, if applicable.
More information
More information about Digistore, The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and The Le@rning
Federation can be found at:



www.tki.org.nz/r/digistore/
www.tepapa.govt.nz
www.thelearningfederation.edu.au