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CAAB: 37311215

Species Gadopsis marmorata Richardson, 1848

River Blackfish, Blackfish, Freshwater Blackfish, Marble Cod, Marbled River Cod, Slimy, Slippery, Tasmanian Blackfish

 

Introduction

Genetic studies have suggested that there is a northern and southern population that probably represent separate species (Miller et al. 2004). Kuiter (2013) split the southern population into two additional species, Gadopsis gracilis McCoy 1879 in the southeast of Victoria, and an undescribed species in the southwest. Further work is required to determine the validity of these species. Genetic studies (Hammer et al 2014, Unmack, et al. 2017) have suggested that additional species exist within the genus and the present classification is tentative.

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria


Extra Distribution Information

West-flowing streams in NSW, southern Queensland as far as the Condamine River; in the north only at altitudes above 600–900 m, in the south, found west and as low as 150 m elevation; in Victoria, occurs in tributaries of the Murray system and in south-flowing streams; absent from many smaller coastal streams, such as those in Otway Ranges; temperate.

Australian Endemic.


IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)
drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones (map not available)

IBRA

NSW, Qld, SA, Tas, Vic: Australian Alps (AA), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Ben Lomond (BEL), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Flinders (FLI), Kanmantoo (KAN), King (KIN), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Nandewar (NAN), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), New England Tablelands (NET), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Riverina (RIV), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tasmanian Northern Midlands (TNM), Tasmanian Northern Slopes (TNS), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Tasmanian West (TWE), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP)

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

  • Australia
    • New South Wales: Murray-Darling basin
    • Queensland: Murray-Darling basin
    • South Australia: Murray-Darling basin, SE coastal
    • Tasmania
    • Victoria: Murray-Darling basin, SE coastal

Ecological Descriptors

Freshwater.

Extra Ecological Information

Clear, fast-flowing mountain streams to sluggish, lowland rivers.

 

General References

Allen, G.R. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Neptune, New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 240 pp., 63 pls. [182]

Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp. [206]

Cadwallader, P.L. & Backhouse, G.N. 1983. A Guide to the Freshwater Fish of Victoria. Melbourne : F.D. Atkinson Government Printer 249 pp. figs. [124]

Chilcott, S. J. & Humphries, P. 1996. Freshwater fish of northeast Tasmania with notes on the dwarf galaxias. Records of the Queen Victoria Museum, Launceston 103: 145-149 [145]

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

Hammer, M.P. & Walker, K.F. 2004. A catalogue of South Australian freshwater fishes, including new records, range extensions and translocations. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 128(2): 85-97 [88]

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. [188]

Kuiter, R.H. 2013. Pictorial Guide to Victoria's Freshwater Fishes. Seaford, Victoria : Aquatic Photographics 178 pp. [102]

Lake, J.S. 1978. Australian Freshwater Fishes. Melbourne : Thomas Nelson 160 pp. 140 figs. [65]

Last, P.R., Scott, E.O.G. & Talbot, F.H. 1983. Fishes of Tasmania. Hobart : Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority 563 pp. figs. [389]

Lintermans, M. 2009. Fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin — An Introductory Guide. Canberra : Murray-Darling Basin Commission 157 pp. [MDBC Publication Number 10/07] [92]

McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part II. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 145–329 [329] (in part)

Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes Biology and Management. Sydney : J.R. Merrick 409 pp. figs 280 col. figs. [269]

Miller, A.D., Waggy, G., Ryan, S.G. & Austin, C.M. 2004. Mitochondrial 12S rRNA sequences support the existence of a third species of freshwater blackfish (Percicthyidae: Gadopsis) from south-eastern Australia. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 61(2): 121–127

Scott, T.D., Glover, C.J.M. & Southcott, R.V. 1974. The Marine and Freshwater Fishes of South Australia. Adelaide : Government Printer 392 pp. figs. [293]

Unmack, P.J. 2001. Biogeography of Australian freshwater fishes. Journal of Biogeography 28: 1053-1089 [1062]

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

Whitley, G.P. 1962. The slippery or freshwater blackfish. The Education Gazette 66(2): 95-96

Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [52] (1802, in part)

 

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)
25-Jul-2023 PERCICHTHYIDAE 13-Mar-2024 MODIFIED
29-Mar-2018 PERCICHTHYIDAE 13-Mar-2018 MODIFIED Dr Doug Hoese
21-Nov-2012 21-Nov-2012 MODIFIED
30-Mar-2010 MODIFIED