Editing Murray cod (section)

{{Short description|The largest Australian predatory freshwater fish in the family Percichthyidae}}
{{About-distinguish|the Australian freshwater fish|Cod}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Speciesbox
| status = VU
| status_system = EPBC
| status_ref = <ref name=sprat>{{Cite web|url=https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=66633 |title= ''Maccullochella peelii'' — Murray Cod|date=3 July 2003|website=[[Species Profile and Threats Database]]|access-date=23 August 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230823051045/https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=66633| archive-date=23 August 2023| url-status=live}}</ref>
| status2 = LC
| status2_system = IUCN3.1
| status2_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Gilligan, D. |author2=Zampatti, B. |author3=Lintermans, M. |author4=Koehn, J. |author5=Butler, G. |author6=Brooks, S. |date=2019 |title=''Maccullochella peelii'' |volume=2019 |page=e.T12576A103325360 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T12576A103325360.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| image = Murray cod02 melb aquarium.jpg
| image_caption = At [[Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium]], [[Melbourne]]
| genus = Maccullochella
| species = peelii
| authority = ([[Thomas Livingston Mitchell|T. L. Mitchell]], 1838)
| synonyms = * ''Acerina peelii'' <small>T. L. Mitchell, 1838</small>
* ''Maccullochella peelii peelii'' <small>(T. L. Mitchell, 1838)</small>
}}

The '''Murray cod''' ('''''Maccullochella peelii''''') is a large Australian predatory freshwater [[fish]] of the genus ''[[Maccullochella]]'' in the family [[Percichthyidae]].<ref name="FOA">Dianne J. Bray & Vanessa J. Thompson (2011) [http://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4655#classification Murray Cod, Maccullochella peelii]. Fishes of Australia. Retrieved 29 August 2014</ref> 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 <!-- 'hyperbole' and charismatic -->part of Australia's [[vertebrate]] wildlife—[[#Diet|as an apex predator]] in the [[Murray-Darling]] River system—and also [[#Relationship with humans|significant in Australia's human culture]].<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last1=Humphries |first1=Paul |title=The Life and Times of the Murray cod |date=2023 |publisher=CSIRO Publishing |location=Melbourne |isbn=9781486312320 |pages=256 |url=https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/7924/}}</ref> 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'''.<ref name="FOA" />

The scientific name of Murray cod derives from an early Australian fish researcher [[Allan Riverstone McCulloch]] and the river from which the explorer [[Major Mitchell]] first scientifically described the species, the [[Peel River (New South Wales)|Peel River]].<ref name="FOA" />  This was for a number of years changed to ''M. peelii peelii'' to differentiate Murray cod from [[Mary River cod]], which were designated as a [[subspecies]] of Murray cod. However, as of 2010, Mary River cod have been raised to full species status (''M. mariensis''), thus Murray cod have reverted simply to ''M. peelii''.<ref name=Nocketal2010>{{Cite journal  | last = Nock | first = C. J.  | author2 = Elphinstone M. S.  | author3 = Rowland S. J.
  | author4 = Baverstock, P. R.  | name-list-style = amp  | title = Phylogenetics and revised taxonomy of the Australian freshwater cod genus, ''Maccullochella'' (Percichthyidae)  | journal = Marine and Freshwater Research  | volume = 61  | pages = 980–991  | year = 2010  | doi = 10.1071/MF09145  | issue = 9}}</ref>

Murray cod populations have declined severely since [[British colonisation of Australia|European colonisation]] of Australia due to a number of causes, including severe overfishing, river regulation, and habitat degradation and are now a listed threatened species. However, they once inhabited almost the entire [[Murray-Darling basin]], Australia's largest river system, in very great numbers.

A long-lived fish, adult Murray cod are [[carnivorous]] and eat crustaceans (shrimp, yabbies, crays), fish and freshwater mussels.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{cite book |last1=Doyle |first1=Katherine |title=Can native Australian percichthyid fishes control invasive common carp (Cyprinus carpio)? |date=2012 |publisher=The University of Queensland |location=Brisbane}}</ref> The species exhibits a high degree of parental care for their [[Fish egg|eggs]], which are [[Spawn (biology)|spawned]] in the spring and are generally laid in hollow logs or on other hard surfaces. Murray cod are a popular angling target and [[aquaculture]] species. Often available through the aquarium trade, they are also a popular aquarium species in Australia.<ref name=nfacod/>
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