Gadopsis

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Gadopsis
Gadopsis bispinosus, Two-spined blackfish.jpg
Gadopsis bispinosus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percichthyidae
Genus: Gadopsis
J. Richardson, 1848
Type species
Gadopsis marmoratus
J. Richardson, 1848 [1]

Gadopsis is a genus of temperate perches endemic to freshwater habitats in southeastern Australia. [2] The genus was formerly considered to be in a family of its own, Gadopsidae.

This genus and the Maccullochella cods (such as the Murray cod, Maccullochella peelii) are strongly similar. There are some grounds for believing[ citation needed ] blackfish may be a smaller version of Murray cod, inhabiting similar niches but in habitats are too small for Murray cod (having said this, their distributions originally overlapped substantially), and there are grounds for believing that blackfish and Murray cod have drawn heavily on common genes at the family level.[ citation needed ] FishBase, for instance, has scrapped the family Gadopsidae and listed the blackfishes as members of the temperate perch family, Percichthyidae . A mitochondrial DNA study has confirmed a relationship between the Blackfish and the Percichthyidae but the exact relationship was not resolved in that study. [3] Further study is needed to resolve the relationship between the blackfish and the Percichthyidae. In addition, molecular studies have supported the view that G. marmoratus is a species complex of five different species, these include a species in the Murray-Darling Basin and four species in coastal freshwaters. [4] One of these forms from Victoria has been named as Gadopsis gracilis. [5]

Blackfish have a recruitment method similar to Murray cod, but with more specialisation to upland habitats. Blackfish spawn in spring and lay a very limited number of large, adhesive eggs (<1000) on sunken timber (snags), or in the case of two-spined blackfish on submerged rocks. Similar to Murray cod, the male guards the eggs until they hatch. Upon hatching the larval blackfish are, uniquely, attached to their ruptured egg case by a tether until the yolk sac is largely used and the larvae are ready to commence exogenous feeding. (This unique structure is presumably an adaptation to upland river/stream habitats, to prevent larvae being swept away in currents.)

Species

There are two species in this genus: [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray cod</span> The largest Australian predatory freshwater fish in the family Percichthyidae

The Murray cod is a large Australian predatory freshwater fish of the genus Maccullochella in the family Percichthyidae. Although the species is called a cod in the vernacular, it is not related to the Northern Hemisphere marine cod (Gadus) species. The Murray cod is an important part of Australia's vertebrate wildlife—as an apex predator in the Murray-Darling River system—and also significant in Australia's human culture. The Murray cod is the largest exclusively freshwater fish in Australia, and one of the largest in the world. Other common names for Murray cod include cod, greenfish, goodoo, Mary River cod, Murray perch, ponde, pondi and Queensland freshwater cod.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern freshwater cod</span> Species of fish

The eastern freshwater cod, also known as the eastern cod or Clarence River cod, is a large predatory freshwater fish of the genus Maccullochella and the family Percichthyidae, that occur in the coastal Clarence River system of north-eastern New South Wales. Eastern freshwater cod are closely related to the Murray cod of the Murray-Darling River system, and are considered an icon of the Clarence River system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trout cod</span> Species of fish

The trout cod or bluenose cod, is a large predatory freshwater fish of the genus Maccullochella and the family Percichthyidae, closely related to the Murray cod. It was originally widespread in the south-east corner of the Murray-Darling river system in Australia, but is now an endangered species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temperate perch</span> Family of fishes

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macquarie perch</span> Species of fish

The Macquarie perch 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden perch</span> Species of fish

The golden perch 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, and another subspecies, suspected to be ancestral to all other populations, is found in the Fitzroy River system in Queensland. Other common names for golden perch are "goldens", “yellowbelly” and "callop", the last generally used only in South Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian bass</span> Species of fish

The Australian bass is a small- to medium-sized species of primarily freshwater fish found in coastal rivers and streams along the east coast of Australia. A member of the genus Macquaria from the family Percichthyidae, the Australian bass is an important member of the native fish assemblages found in east coast river systems. It is a native predatory fish and an extremely popular game fish species among anglers. The species was simply called perch in most coastal rivers where it was caught until the 1960s, when the name "Australian bass" started to gain popularity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River blackfish</span> Species of fish

The river blackfish is a freshwater fish endemic to the temperate waters of south-eastern Australia. It is found from southern Queensland through to central Victoria, including in the Murray-Darling river system. It is also found in some eastern and southern flowing coastal rivers. Found primarily in upland and "midland" habitats, though early records of fish fauna suggest it was originally far more extensively distributed and was found in some lowland habitats as well. Originally, river blackfish co-inhabited many of its lowland and "midland" habitats with species such as Murray cod and golden perch, and its upland habitats with species such as trout cod and Macquarie perch. It is a popular angling fish in some parts of its range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two-spined blackfish</span> Species of fish

The two-spined blackfish is a species of temperate perch endemic to Australia.

The Mary River cod is a species of temperate perch native to the coastal Mary River system of southern Queensland, Australia. Mary River cod are one of Australia's most endangered freshwater fishes and are notable for being the most northerly of the four Maccullochella cods found or once found in coastal river systems of eastern Australia.

The Richmond River cod was a form of Maccullochella cod, now believed to have been eastern freshwater cod, Maccullochella ikei, that occurred naturally in the Richmond River system, an east coast river system in north-east New South Wales, Australia.

The Brisbane River cod was a unique form of Maccullochella cod that occurred naturally in the Brisbane River system, an east coast river system in south east Queensland, Australia. The Brisbane River Cod was known as the Bumgur by the Jinibara people centred in the Kilcoy region and the junction of the Stanley and Brisbane Rivers. Their exact taxonomic status is not known, but based on several genetic studies it is suspected that Brisbane River Cod were a species intermediate between eastern freshwater cod of the Clarence River and Richmond River systems in northern New South Wales and Mary River cod of the Mary River in southern Queensland.

<i>Maccullochella</i> Genus of fishes

Maccullochella is a genus of large Australian predatory freshwater fish within the family Percichthyidae. The genus Maccullochella was named after an early Australian fish researcher with the surname McCulloch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloomfield River cod</span> Species of fish

The Bloomfield River cod or the tropical nightfish, is a species of temperate perch endemic to Australia. It is only found in an 11-km stretch of the Bloomfield River in northern Queensland. These waterfalls appear to have blocked the migration of more aggressive tropical freshwater fish species such as the sooty grunter that have presumably naturally displaced the Bloomfield River cod from its former range in prehistoric times. With its very limited distribution, the Bloomfield River cod is clearly a relict species. It is a very important relict species, however, as it is the most northerly distributed percichthyid species in Australia and raises interesting questions on the biogeography of percichthyid fish in Australia and the history of their ancient colonisation of Australian rivers.

<i>Macquaria</i> Genus of fishes

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.

Nannoperca or pygmy perch is a genus of temperate perches endemic to freshwater systems of Australia.

<i>Percichthys</i> Genus of fishes

Percichthys is a genus of temperate perches native to freshwater habitats in Argentina and Chile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nightfish</span> Species of fish

The nightfish is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a temperate perch from the family Percichthyidae which is endemic to southwestern Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern pygmy perch</span> Species of fish

The southern pygmy perch, also known as the Tasmanian pygmy perch, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a temperate perch from the family Percichthyidae which is native to south-eastern Australia and Tasmania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinipercidae</span> Family of fishes

Sinipercidae, the Chinese perches or Oriental perches, is a family of freshwater ray-finned fishes, part of the superfamiy Percoidea, suborder Percoidei of the order Perciformes.They have been placed within the temperate perch family, Percichthyidae in the past but may be more closely allied to the Centrarchidae.

References

  1. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Gadopsis". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). Species of Gadopsis in FishBase . February 2014 version.
  3. Jerry, Dean; Elphinstone, Martin & Baverstock, Peter (2001). "Phylogenetic Relationships of Australian Members of the Family Percichthyidae Inferred from Mitochondrial 12S rRNA Sequence Data". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 18 (3): 335–47. doi:10.1006/mpev.2000.0871. PMID   11277628.
  4. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Gadopsis". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 13 May 2020.