ANIMAL SPECIES:Trout Cod, Maccullochella macquariensis (Cuvier, 1829)
The Trout Cod can be recognised by its overhanging upper jaw and the presence of a dusky horizontal stripe from the snout, through the eyes and onto the preoperculum. The species is endemic to Australia.
Alternative Name/s
Blue NoseIdentification
The Trout Cod is a large, deep-bodied species that has a big mouth and a straight head profile. It can be recognised by its overhanging upper jaw and the presence of a dusky horizontal stripe from the snout, through the eyes and onto the preoperculum.
In life, the fish is bluish grey or brown, with irregular spots and bars on the upper and lateral surfaces of the body as well as on the soft dorsal, anal and caudal fins. It is pale ventrally.
Size range
It grows to 85 cm in length and 16 kg in weight. Most fishes caught are less than 5 kg.Distribution
The species is endemic to Australia, occurring in scattered localities within the Murray-Darling system. Some fish have been translocated to coastal New South Wales.
Distribution by collection data
Biomaps map of Trout Cod specimens in the Australian Museum collection.
Habitat
It is usually found in rapidly flowing freshwater streams, often near snags or over rocky or gravel substrates. Larger fishes are found in deeper water.
Behaviour and adaptations
Feeding and Diet
Adult and juvenile fish eat other fishes, crustaceans, aquatic insects and molluscs. Larvae feed on zooplankton.
Living with us
Economic/social impacts
The Trout Cod is now listed as a threatened species, largely due to habitat degradation. It originally occurred widely throughout the southern Murray-Darling River system of New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and South Australia. This fish has been a popular angling species, but it can no longer be taken in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria.
Classification
- Species:
- macquariensis
- Genus:
- Maccullochella
- Family:
- Percichthyidae
- Order:
- Perciformes
- Class:
- Actinopterygii
- Subphylum:
- Vertebrata
- Phylum:
- Chordata
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
References
- Allen, G.R. 1991. Field Guide to The Freshwater Fishes of New Guinea. Christensen Research Institute. Pub. 9. Pp. 268.
- Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & M. Allen. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 394.
- Harris, J.H. & S.J. Rowland. in McDowall, R.M. 1996. Freshwater Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Reed Books. Pp. 247.
- Merrick , J.R. & G.E. Schmida. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes. Biology and Management. John R. Merrick. Pp. 409.
- Morris , S.A. , Pollard, D.A., Gehrke, P.C. & J.J. Pogonoski. 2001. Threatened and Potentially Threatened Freshwater Fishes of Coastal New South Wales and the Murray-Darling Basin. Report to Fisheries Action Program and World Wide Fund for Nature. Project No. AA 0959.98. Pp. 177.
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Trout Cod, Maccullochella macquariensis View full size
John Pogonoski
© NSW Department of Primary Industries
Head of a Trout Cod, Maccullochella macquariensis View full size
John Pogonoski
© NSW Department of Primary Industries
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