Mary River cod
Encyclopedia
Mary River cod are a Maccullochella
cod found in the coastal Mary River
system of southern Queensland
, Australia
. Mary River cod are significant because they are the most northerly of the four Maccullochella
cods found or once found in coastal river systems of eastern Australia.
and eastern freshwater cod
; a striking looking, deep-bodied fish with dark green or black mottling. Curiously, Mary River cod have a slightly shorter, thicker caudal peduncle (tail wrist) than the other cod species.
, Maccullochella peelii. This was done on the basis of studies of muscle proteins and enzymes.
As of 2010, after studies of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, Mary River cod have been raised to full species status (Maccullochella mariensis) (Nock et al., 2010). This research reveals the Mary River cod's closest relative is the eastern freshwater cod
(Maccullochella ikei) of the Clarence River system.
Maccullochella
Maccullochella is a genus of large Australian predatory freshwater fish within the Percichthyidae family. The Maccullochella genus was named after an early Australian fish researcher with the surname McCulloch....
cod found in the coastal Mary River
Mary River (Queensland)
The Mary River is a river system in South East Queensland, Australia. The river rises at Booroobin in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, west of Landsborough...
system of southern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Mary River cod are significant because they are the most northerly of the four Maccullochella
Maccullochella
Maccullochella is a genus of large Australian predatory freshwater fish within the Percichthyidae family. The Maccullochella genus was named after an early Australian fish researcher with the surname McCulloch....
cods found or once found in coastal river systems of eastern Australia.
Description
A large fish, reliably recorded to at least 27 kilograms in the early years of European settlement. Very similar in appearance to Murray codMurray Cod
The Murray cod is a large Australian predatory freshwater fish of the Maccullochella genus and the Percichthyidae family. Although the species is a called cod in the vernacular, it is not related to the northern hemisphere marine cod species...
and eastern freshwater cod
Eastern freshwater cod
Eastern freshwater cod, Maccullochella ikei, also known as eastern cod, are a large and striking predatory freshwater fish of the Maccullochella genus and the Percichthyidae family, that occur in the coastal Clarence River system of north-eastern New South Wales...
; a striking looking, deep-bodied fish with dark green or black mottling. Curiously, Mary River cod have a slightly shorter, thicker caudal peduncle (tail wrist) than the other cod species.
Conservation
Mary River Cod are subject to the usual story of woe. Incredibly abundant at the time of first European settlement, they were grossly overfished with nets, lines and explosives by the early European settlers and, as with other Maccullochella cods, were even used as pig feed. This overfishing, combined with the massive siltation of their habitats by land-clearing, destruction of riparian vegetation and cattle trampling river banks, and dams and weirs blocking migration, rapidly caught up with this large, slow-growing, long-lived Maccullochella cod species, as it has with all its close relatives.Classification
Taxonomically, Mary River cod were once designated as "Maccullochella peelii mariensis", which denoted that they were a sub-species of the Murray codMurray Cod
The Murray cod is a large Australian predatory freshwater fish of the Maccullochella genus and the Percichthyidae family. Although the species is a called cod in the vernacular, it is not related to the northern hemisphere marine cod species...
, Maccullochella peelii. This was done on the basis of studies of muscle proteins and enzymes.
As of 2010, after studies of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, Mary River cod have been raised to full species status (Maccullochella mariensis) (Nock et al., 2010). This research reveals the Mary River cod's closest relative is the eastern freshwater cod
Eastern freshwater cod
Eastern freshwater cod, Maccullochella ikei, also known as eastern cod, are a large and striking predatory freshwater fish of the Maccullochella genus and the Percichthyidae family, that occur in the coastal Clarence River system of north-eastern New South Wales...
(Maccullochella ikei) of the Clarence River system.