Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

Percichthyidae: <I>Gadopsis</I>

Percichthyidae: Gadopsis

Percichthyidae

Percichthyidae

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CAAB: 37311000

Family PERCICHTHYIDAE

Australian Freshwater Basses, Australian Freshwater Blackfish, Australian Freshwater Cods, Temperate Seabasses


Compiler and date details

9 March 2018 - John R. Paxton, Jennifer E. Gates, Dianne J. Bray, Douglass F. Hoese & Matthew M. Lockett

22 February 2012 - John R. Paxton, Jennifer E. Gates, Dianne J. Bray, Douglass F. Hoese & Matthew M. Lockett

December 2006 - John R. Paxton, Jennifer E. Gates, Dianne J. Bray & Douglass F. Hoese

Introduction

As treated here the family Percichthyidae includes freshwater and estuarine species from Australia and South America. A total of 22 species in eight genera are recognised worldwide, with seven genera and 19 species known from Australian waters. The family includes the Australian genera: Bostockia, Gadopsis, Guyu, Maccullochella, Macquaria, Nannatherina and Nannoperca, and the South American genus Percichthys. Most of these are detailed in Harris & Rowland (1996), Jackson et al. (1996), Kuiter et al. (1996) and Allen et al. (2002). The species of Nannatherina and Nannoperca were reviewed by Kuiter & Allen (19865) with an additional species of Nannoperca added by Morgan et al. (2013). The temperate basses include the Australian Murray Cod, Golden Perch and relatives, revised by MacDonald (1978). Further studies will undoubtedly show additional species, with restricted distributions. The generic classification largely follows Jerry et al. (2001), including the treatment of Edelia as a synonym of Nannoperca. Unmack et al. (2011) discussed biogeography based on mollecular work in Nannoperca; their work suggests that Nannoperca australis and N. vittata each contain two distinct that could be recognised as distinct species. Recent work on Gadopsis also suggested multiple genetic stocks indicated more than the two species currently recognised (Hammer et al. 2014, Unmack et al. 2017).

Percichthyids are carnivores and their reported food items include crustaceans, fishes, insects, molluscs, birds and mammals. Maximum length reached is 1.8 m, and weights in excess of 100 kg have been reported for murray cod.

The percichthyids were first separated from the Serranidae by Gosline (1966). Following Gosline (1966) and Nelson (1984), Paxton et al. (1989) included a large number of genera and species in the family Percichthyidae. Nelson (1994), however, followed Johnson (1984) in restricting the family to freshwater taxa from Australia and South America, including the genera Edelia, Nannatherina and Nannoperca that were placed in the Kuhliidae by Paxton et al. (1989). As well, the genus Gadopsis, previously in the family Gadopsidae and not covered in Paxton et al. (1989), is now included in the Percichthyidae. Near et al. (2012) presented molecular evidence that the species previously placed in the genus Percalates might not be closely related to other percichthyids.

The other genera listed in the Percichthyidae by Paxton et al. (1989) were placed by Nelson (1994) in the families: Acropomatidae (Acropoma, Apogonops, Doederleinia, Howella, Malakichthys, Polyprion, Synagrops); Epigonidae (Sphyraenops); and Moronidae (Lateolabrax). Nelson (2006) placed Howella in Percichthyidae, but we place it in the family Howellidae following Gomon (2008).

 

General References

Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp.

Gomon, M. 2008. Family Howellidae. pp. 564-565 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

Gosline, W.A. 1966. The limits of the fish family Serranidae, with notes on other percoids. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 33: 91-111 figs 1-10

Hammer, M.P., Unmack, P.J., Adams, M., Raadik, T.A. & Johnson, J.B 2014. A multigene molecular assessment of cryptic biodiversity in the iconic freshwater blackfishes (Teleostei: Percichthyidae: Gadopsis) of south-eastern Australia. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 111(3): 521–540

Harris, J.H. & Rowland, S.J. 1996. Family Percichthyidae. pp. 150-163 in McDowall, R.M. (ed.). Freshwater Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Sydney : Reed Books 247 pp.

Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. 2006. Fishes. In, Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 35. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp. [1038]

Jackson, P.D., Koehn, J.D., Lintermans, M. & Sanger, A.C. 1996. Family Gadopsidae. pp. 186-190 in McDowall, R.M. (ed.). Freshwater Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Sydney : Reed Books 247 pp.

Jerry, D.R., Elphinstone, M.S., Baverstock, P.R. 2001. Phylogenetic relationships of Australian members of the family Percichthyidae inferred from mitochondrial 12S rRNA sequence data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 18(3): 335–347

Johnson, G.D. 1984. Percoidei: development and relationships. pp. 464-498 figs 254-264 in Moser, H.G. et al. (eds). Ontogeny and Systematics of Fishes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Special Publication 1: 1-760

Kuiter, R.H., Humphries, P.A. & Arthington, A.H. 1996. Family Nannopercidae. pp. 168-175 in McDowall, R.M. (ed.). Freshwater Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Sydney : Reed Books 247 pp.

Kuiter, R.H. & Allen, G.R. 1986. A synopsis of the Australian pygmy perches (Percichthyidae), with the description of a new species. Revue Française d'Aquariologie et Herpétologie 12(4): 109-116 [Date published 21 July: for 1985]

MacDonald, C.M. 1978. Morphological and biochemical systematics of Australian freshwater and estuarine percichthyid fishes. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 29(5): 667-698 figs 1-11

Morgan, D.L., Beatty, S.J. & Adams, M. 2013. Nannoperca pygmaea, a new species of pygmy perch (Teleostei: Percichthyidae) from Western Australia. Zootaxa 3637(4): 401-411

Near, T.J., Sandel, M., Kühn, K.L., Unmack, P.J. Wainwright, P.C., & Smith, W.L. 2012. Nuclear gene-inferred phylogenies resolve the relationships of the enigmatic Pygmy Sunfishes, Elassoma (Teleostei: Percomorpha). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 63: 388-395 [390]

Nelson, J.S. 1984. Fishes of the World. New York : John Wiley & Sons 523 pp. figs.

Nelson, J.S. 1994. Fishes of the World. New York : John Wiley & Sons 600 pp.

Nelson, J.S. 2006. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 601 pp.

Paxton, J.R., Hoese, D.F., Allen, G.R. & Hanley, J.E. (eds) 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Pisces: Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 7 665 pp.

Unmack, P.J., Hammer, M.P., Adams, M. & Dowling, T.E. 2011. A phylogenetic analysis of pygmy perches (Teleostei: Percichthyidae) with an assessment of the major historical influences on aquatic biogeography in southern Australia. Systematic Biology 60(6): 797–812

Unmack, P.J., Sandoval-Castillo, J., Hammer, M.P., Adams, M, Raadik, T.A. & Beheregaray, L.B. 2017. Genome-wide SNPs resolve a key conflict between sequence and allozyme data to confirm another threatened candidate species of river blackfishes (Teleostei: Percichthyidae: Gadopsis). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 109: 415-420

 

Common Name References

Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp. [192] (Australian Freshwater Basses, Australian Freshwater Blackfish, Australian Freshwater Cods)

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
29-Mar-2018 PERCICHTHYIDAE 13-Mar-2018 MODIFIED Dr Doug Hoese
21-Nov-2012 21-Nov-2012 MODIFIED
12-Feb-2010 (import)