Family PERCICHTHYIDAE

Percichthyidae: Gadopsis

Percichthyidae

Museums

Museum list

Regional Maps

External Links

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).