Editing Temperate perch

{{Short description|Family of fishes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Temperate perches
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|Early Paleocene|present|earliest=Maastrichtian}}
| image = Perca trucha (Percichthys trucha).JPG
| image_caption = ''[[Percichthys trucha]]''
| taxon = Percichthyidae
| authority = [[David Starr Jordan|D. S. Jordan]] & [[Carl H. Eigenmann|C. H. Eigenmann]], 1890<ref name = VDLEF>{{cite journal | author1 = Richard van der Laan | author2 = William N. Eschmeyer | author3 = Ronald Fricke | name-list-style = amp |year=2014 | title = Family-group names of Recent fishes | url = https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.3882.1.1/10480 | journal = Zootaxa | volume = 3882 | issue =2 | pages = 001–230}}</ref>
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision_ref = <ref name = Fishbase>{{FishBase family | family = Percichthyidae| month = December | year = 2019}}</ref>
| subdivision = see text
| synonyms = Gadopsidae
}}

[[File:Murray cod02 melb aquarium.jpg|thumb|Murray cod (''[[Maccullochella peelii peelii]]'')]]
'''Percichthyidae''', the '''temperate perches,''' are a family of freshwater [[Actinopterygii|ray-finned fish]] found in Australia and southern South America. Formerly placed in the order [[Perciformes]], they are now placed in the order [[Centrarchiformes]].

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 [[Danian|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]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Friedman |first=Matt |last2=V. Andrews |first2=James |last3=Saad |first3=Hadeel |last4=El-Sayed |first4=Sanaa |date=2023-06-16 |title=The Cretaceous–Paleogene transition in spiny-rayed fishes: surveying “Patterson’s Gap” in the acanthomorph skeletal record André Dumont medalist lecture 2018 |url=https://popups.uliege.be/1374-8505/index.php?id=7048 |journal=Geologica Belgica |language=en |doi=10.20341/gb.2023.002 |issn=1374-8505|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Potential percichthyid scales have been recovered from the [[Miocene]]-aged fossil deposits of [[Foulden Maar]] in New Zealand. If these are of percichthyids, this suggests they had a wider distribution during the [[Neogene]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McDowall |first=R. M. |last2=and Lee |first2=D. E. |date=2005-06-01 |title=Probable perciform fish scales from a Miocene freshwater lake deposit, Central Otago, New Zealand |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03014223.2005.9517788 |journal=Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=339–344 |doi=10.1080/03014223.2005.9517788 |issn=0303-6758}}</ref> They also appear to have ranged as far north as the [[Neotropical realm|Neotropics]] during the Oligocene/Miocene, with the fossil genus ''[[Santosius]]'' known from Brazil.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Arratia |first=Gloria |last2=Quezada-Romegialli |first2=Claudio |date=2019-04-25 |title=The South American and Australian percichthyids and perciliids. What is new about them? |url=https://www.scielo.br/j/ni/a/4NnD4LzmJhR66NRC6ZT79mC/?lang=en |journal=Neotropical Ichthyology |language=en |volume=17 |pages=e180102 |doi=10.1590/1982-0224-20180102 |issn=1679-6225|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Modern percichthyids have a significant [[disjunct distribution]], being found in Australia and southern South America. All extant members of the group only inhabit freshwater habitats, and it is thus unlikely they ever evolved marine habits. For this reason, it is likely that the modern distribution of percichthyids derives from dispersal over the [[Antarctic land bridge]] between South America and Australia, which existed up to the end of the Eocene. This suggests that percichthyids likely inhabited Antarctica as well.<ref name=":0" />

=== Classification ===
The temperate perches are closely related to the [[Centrarchidae|freshwater sunfish]] of North America, with both belonging to the suborder [[Centrarchoidei]]. They were previously also thought to be allied with the temperate basses of the family [[Moronidae]] and the seabasses in the family [[Serranidae]], but are now thought to not be closely related.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=Fricke |first=R. |last2=Eschmeyer |first2=W. N. |last3=Van der Laan |first3=R. |date=2025 |title=ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION |url=https://www.calacademy.org/eschmeyers-catalog-of-fishes-classification |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=California Academy of Sciences |language=en}}</ref>

Almost 40 [[species]] of percichthyids are now recognised, grouped in 11–12 [[genus|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 [[Sinipercidae]] while the genus ''[[Percilia]]'' has been found not to be closely related to either that family or the Percichthyidae and has been placed in its own [[monotypy|monotypic]] family [[Perciliidae]].<ref name = Nelson5>{{cite book  |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |author1=J. S. Nelson |author2=T. C. Grande |author3=M. V. H. Wilson |year=2016 |pages=442 |publisher=Wiley |ISBN= 978-1-118-34233-6 |url=https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ }}</ref> The two [[catadromous]] species in ''[[Percalates]]'' are found in Australia and were previously placed in ''Macquaria'', but phylogenetic analyses have found them to be the most [[Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] members of the whole order.<ref name="Lavoue">{{cite journal |author1=Sébastien Lavoué |author2=Kouji Nakayama |author3=Dean R. Jerry |author4=Yusuke Yamanoue |author5=Naoki Yagishita |author6=Nobuaki Suzuki |author7=Mutsumi Nishida |author8=Masaki Miya |display-authors=3 |year=2014 |title=Mitogenomic phylogeny of the Percichthyidae and Centrarchiformes (Percomorphaceae): comparison with recent nuclear gene-based studies and simultaneous analysis |journal=Gene |volume=549 |issue=1 |pages=46–57 |doi=10.1016/j.gene.2014.07.033}} Abstract</ref>

The following 8 genera are classified within the family Percichthyidae:<ref name = Nelson5/><ref name = Fishbase/>

* ''[[Bostockia]]'' <small>[[Francis de Laporte de Castelnau|Castelnau]], 1873</small>
* ''[[Gadopsis]]'' <small>[[John Richardson (naturalist)|Richardson]], 1848</small>
* ''[[Guyu (fish)|Guyu]]'' <small>[[Bradley James Pusey|Pusey]] & [[Mark J. Kennard|Kennard]], 2001</small>
* ''[[Maccullochella]]'' <small>[[Gilbert Percy Whitley|Whitley]], 1929</small>
* ''[[Macquaria]]'' <small>[[Georges Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1830</small>
* ''[[Nannatherina]]'' <small>[[Charles Tate Regan|Regan]], 1906</small>
* ''[[Nannoperca]]'' <small>[[Albert Günther|Günther]], 1861</small>
* ''[[Percichthys]]'' <small>[[Charles Frédéric Girard|Girard]], 1855</small>
In addition, two [[Extinction|extinct]] genera are known exclusively from [[fossil]] remains:<ref name=":0" />

* †''[[Plesiopercichthys]]'' <small>Agnolin ''et al''., 2014</small> ([[Pliocene]] of Argentina)
* †''[[Santosius]]'' <small>Arratia, 1982</small> (latest [[Oligocene]]/earliest [[Miocene]] of Brazil)

==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 [[threatened]] through [[overfishing]] and river regulation, while others are now [[fish farm|farmed]] to some extent.  Some smaller species (e.g. [[Balston's pygmy perch]], ''Nannatherina balstoni'') are popular in [[aquarium|aquaria]].

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

==Timeline==

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 from: -23.03    till: -5.332    color:miocene    text:[[Miocene]]
 from: -5.332    till: -2.588    color:pliocene    text:[[Plio.]]
 from: -2.588    till: -0.0117   color:pleistocene    text:[[Pleist.]]
 from: -0.0117    till: 0    color:holocene    text:[[Holocene|H.]]

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 from: -2.588    till: 0   color:quaternary    text:[[Quaternary|Q.]]

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==See also==
*''[[Howella]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{ITIS |id=170315 |taxon=Percichthyidae |accessdate=8 February 2011}}
* {{cite journal | last = Sepkoski | first = Jack | title =  A compendium of fossil marine animal genera | journal = Bulletins of American Paleontology | volume = 364 |page=560 | year = 2002 | url = http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class | access-date = 2011-05-19 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Percichthyidae}}
*[http://www.fishbase.se/Summary/FamilySummary.php?ID=288 Fishbase, Family Percichthyidae - Temperate perches]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q603255}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Percichthyidae|*]]
[[Category:Taxa named by David Starr Jordan]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl H. Eigenmann]]