''Macquaria'' is a genus of medium-sized, predatory
temperate perch
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, ''ichthy ...
es
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to
Australia. They are found in rivers and
estuaries
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environmen ...
of the eastern part of the continent.
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Species
The currently recognized species in this genus are:
* ''Macquaria ambigua
''Macquaria'' is a genus of medium-sized, predatory temperate perches endemic to Australia. They are found in rivers and estuaries of the eastern part of the continent.
Species
The currently recognized species in this genus are:
* '' Macquaria ...
'' ( J. Richardson, 1845), commonly known as golden perch
The golden perch (''Macquaria ambigua'') is a medium-sized, yellow or gold-coloured species of Australian freshwater fish found primarily in the Murray-Darling River system, though a subspecies is found in the Lake Eyre-Cooper Creek system, an ...
or "yellowbelly"
* '' Macquaria australasica'' ( G. Cuvier, 1830), commonly known as Macquarie perch
The Macquarie perch (''Macquaria australasica'') is an Australian native freshwater fish of the Murray-Darling river system. It is a member of the family Percichthyidae and is closely related to the golden perch (''Macquaria ambigua'').
The ...
* ''Macquaria colonorum
The estuary perch (''Macquaria colonorum'') is a species of temperate perch endemic to south-eastern Australia, where it prefers brackish waters such as lower tidal reaches of coastal lakes, rivers, and streams.
Appearance
It is very similar t ...
'' ( Günther, 1863), commonly known as estuary perch
* ''Macquaria novemaculeata
The Australian bass (''Macquaria novemaculeata'') is a small- to medium-sized species of primarily freshwater (but estuarine spawning) fish found in coastal rivers and streams along the east coast of Australia. A member of the genus '' Macqua ...
'' ( Steindachner, 1866), commonly known as Australian bass
The Australian bass (''Macquaria novemaculeata'') is a small- to medium-sized species of primarily freshwater (but estuarine spawning) fish found in coastal rivers and streams along the east coast of Australia. A member of the genus '' Macqua ...
Taxonomy
Some workers have found that the genus ''Macquaria'' is polyphyletic
A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of conver ...
and that the two catadromous
Fish migration is mass relocation by fish from one area or body of water to another. Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousan ...
species ''Macquaria colonorum
The estuary perch (''Macquaria colonorum'') is a species of temperate perch endemic to south-eastern Australia, where it prefers brackish waters such as lower tidal reaches of coastal lakes, rivers, and streams.
Appearance
It is very similar t ...
'' and '' M. novemaculeata'' are not the closest relatives of the other two species in the genus and are placed in the genus ''Percalates
''Macquaria'' is a genus of medium-sized, predatory temperate perches endemic to Australia. They are found in rivers and estuaries of the eastern part of the continent.
Species
The currently recognized species in this genus are:
* '' Macquaria ...
'' in the monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...
family Percalatidae
''Macquaria'' is a genus of medium-sized, predatory temperate perches endemic to Australia. They are found in rivers and estuaries of the eastern part of the continent.
Species
The currently recognized species in this genus are:
* '' Macquaria ...
These authors also found that the Percichthyidae and the Percalatidae were part of one of three cladea within a new order, the Centrarchiformes in the Percomorpha
Percomorpha () is a large clade of ray-finned fish that includes the tuna, seahorses, gobies, cichlids, flatfish, wrasse, perches, anglerfish, and pufferfish.
Evolution
Percomorpha are the most diverse group of teleost fish today. Teleosts, and ...
.[ Abstract]
References
Percichthyidae
Freshwater fish genera
Taxa named by Georges Cuvier
{{Perciformes-stub