Temperate perch

Temperate perches Temporal range: Early Paleocene–present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Percichthys trucha
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Superfamily:	Percoidea
Family:	Percichthyidae D. S. Jordan & C. H. Eigenmann, 1890[1]
Genera[2]
see text
Synonyms
Gadopsidae

The members of the family Percichthyidae are known as the temperate perches. They belong to the order Perciformes, the perch-like fishes.

The name Percichthyidae derives from the Latin perca for perch and Ancient Greek ἰχθύς, ichthys for fish.

Evolution

Potential percichthyid fossil remains are known from the Early Paleocene of the El Molino Formation of Bolivia; these remains have been described as resembling those of the fossil Percichthys hondoensis from the Eocene of Argentina. One articulated specimen is known from the Paleocene portion of the formation, but other remains are known from the Maastrichtian beds of the formation, indicating that percichthyids could have potential Cretaceous origins. However, the condition of this material is unclear. Another fossil percichthyid, Percichthys lonquimayiensis from Chile, was initially dated to the Paleocene, but further studies have found it to be from the Miocene.^[3]

Classification

The temperate perches are closely related to the temperate basses of the family Moronidae, and older literature treats the latter as belonging to the family Percichthyidae. Australian freshwater percichthyids were once placed in the marine grouper family, Serranidae, and the two families are thought to be closely related.

Almost 40 species of percichthyids are now recognised, grouped in 11–12 genera. Most but not all are exclusively freshwater fishes. They are mainly found in Australia, but species are also found in southern South America (Percichthys).

More recently the Chinese perches have been classified in the separate family

The following 8 genera are classified within the family Percichthyidae:[4]^[2]

• Castelnau
  , 1873
• Gadopsis Richardson, 1848
• Guyu Pusey & Kennard
  , 2001
• Maccullochella Whitley, 1929
• Macquaria Cuvier, 1830
• Nannatherina Regan
  , 1906
• Nannoperca Günther, 1861
• Percichthys Girard, 1855

Some workers have found that the genus Macquaria is

Percalatidae These authors also found that the Percichthyidae and the Percalatidae were part of one of three clades within a new order, the Centrarchiformes in the Percomorpha.^[5]

Species

Australia has the greatest number of percichthyid species, where they are represented by the Australian freshwater cods (Maccullochella spp.), which are Murray cod, Mary River cod, eastern freshwater cod, and trout cod, by the Australian freshwater blackfishes (Gadopsis spp.), which are river blackfish and two-spined blackfish, and by the Australian freshwater perches which are golden perch, Macquarie perch (Macquaria spp.), and Australian bass, and estuary perch (Percalates spp.).

Several other Australian freshwater species also sit within the family Percichthyidae, while research using mitochondrial DNA suggests the species of the family Nannopercidae are in reality percichthyids, as well. Australia is unique in having a freshwater fish fauna dominated by percichthyids and allied families/species. This in contrast to Europe and Asia, whose fish faunas are dominated by members of the Cyprinidae carp family. (Australia does not have a single naturally occurring cyprinid species; unfortunately, the illegal introduction of carp has now established the family's presence in Australia.)

A single genus occurs outside Australia, Percichthys in southern South America.

A number of species are or have been important food species; some of these (e.g. the Murray cod, Maccullochella peelii peelii) have become

farmed to some extent. Some smaller species (e.g. Balston's pygmy perch, Nannatherina balstoni) are popular in aquaria

.

The extremely rare Bloomfield River cod, Guyu wujalwujalensis, is only found in a short stretch of the Bloomfield River in north Queensland.

Timeline

See also

• Howella

References

1. ^ Richard van der Laan; William N. Eschmeyer & Ronald Fricke (2014). "Family-group names of Recent fishes". Zootaxa. 3882 (2): 001–230.
2. ^ ^{a b} Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2019). "Percichthyidae" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
3. ISSN 1374-8505
   .
4. ^
   ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6
   .
5. doi:10.1016/j.gene.2014.07.033
   . Abstract

• "Percichthyidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
• Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Retrieved 2011-05-19.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Percichthyidae.

• Fishbase, Family Percichthyidae - Temperate perches