Editing Perch (section)

{{Short description|Genus of fishes}}
{{About|the genus of fish}}
{{Redirect|Perches|the commune in Haiti|Perches, Nord-Est}}
{{Redirect|The Perch|the pub in Binsey, Oxfordshire|The Perch (Binsey)}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Perches
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|3.6|0|[[Pliocene]]–recent}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fossilworks.org|title=Perca Linnaeus 1758 (perch)}}</ref>
| image = YellowPerch.jpg
| image_caption = [[Yellow perch]] (''Perca flavescens'')
| taxon = Perca
| parent_authority = 
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| type_species = ''[[European perch|Perca fluviatilis]]''
| type_species_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = * ''[[Yellow perch|P. flavescens]]'' <small>[[Samuel L. Mitchill|Mitchill]], 1814</small> (yellow perch)
* ''[[European perch|P. fluviatilis]]'' <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small> (European perch)
* ''[[Balkhash perch|P. schrenkii]]'' <small>[[Karl Kessler|Kessler]], 1874</small> (Balkhash perch)
}}

'''Perch''' is a [[common name]] for [[freshwater fish]] from the [[genus]] '''''Perca''''', which belongs to the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Percidae]] of the large [[order (biology)|order]] [[Perciformes]]. The name comes from {{langx|el|πέρκη|perke}}, meaning the [[type species]] of this genus, the [[European perch]] (''P. fluviatilis'').

Many species of freshwater [[game fish]] more or less resemble perch, but belong to different genera. In fact, the exclusively saltwater-dwelling [[red drum]] (which belong to a different order [[Acanthuriformes]]) is often referred to as a "red perch", though by definition perch are freshwater species. Though many fish are referred to as perch as a common name, to be considered a true perch, the fish must be of the family Percidae.