Maccullochella

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Subdivisio: Percomorphaceae
Series: Eupercaria
Ordo: Centrarchiformes
Subordo: Percichthyoidei

Familia: Percichthyidae
Genus: Maccullochella
Species: M. ikei – M. macquariensis – M. mariensis – M. peelii
Name

Maccullochella Whitley, 1929
References

Maccullochella – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Maccullochella species list in FishBase,
Froese, R. & Pauly, D. (eds.) 2024. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication, www.fishbase.org, version 10/2023.
Nock C.J., Elphinstone M.S., Rowland S.J. and Baverstock, P.R. (2010). Phylogenetics and revised taxonomy of the Australianfreshwater cod genus, Maccullochella (Percichthyidae). Marine and Freshwater Research 61: 980–991.

Vernacular names
Cod
Maccullochella is a genus of large Australian predatory freshwater fish within the family Percichthyidae. The genus Maccullochella was named after an early Australian fish researcher with the surname McCulloch.

The Maccullochella species are called 'cod' in the vernacular.

At the time of European settlement of Australia, members of the genus Maccullochella dominated the Murray-Darling river system (Murray cod, M. peelii, and trout cod, M. macquariensis) and 4 East Coast river systems (eastern freshwater cod, M. ikei, of the Clarence and Richmond Rivers, Brisbane River cod, Maccullochella sp., and Mary River cod, M. mariensis).

As large, long-lived, top-order predators with delayed sexual maturity and relatively low fecundity (fertility) Maccullochella species are extremely vulnerable to overfishing, siltation and other forms of habitat degradation, and river regulation by dams and weirs that alter river environments and negatively affect spawning and recruitment (survival) of young fish.

The Maccullochella species have not fared well since European settlement. All are endangered or critically endangered except for Murray cod, which are considered 'Threatened' and 'Vulnerable' under national and state legislation. There are grave concerns over the future of wild Murray cod now, just as much as there is for all the Maccullochella species.
Species

There are currently four recognized species in this genus:[2][3]

Maccullochella ikei Rowland, 1986 (Eastern freshwater cod)
Maccullochella macquariensis (G. Cuvier, 1829) (Trout cod)
Maccullochella mariensis Rowland, 1993 (Mary River cod)
Maccullochella peelii (T. L. Mitchell, 1838) (Murray cod)

Etymology

The generic name honours the Australian zoologist Allan Riverstone McCulloch (1885-1925) who Whitley succeeded as the Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum.[4]
References

Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). Species of Maccullochella in FishBase. February 2014 version.
Nock, C.J.; Elphinstone, M.S.; Rowland, S.J.; Baverstock, P.R. (23 September 2010). "Phylogenetics and revised taxonomy of the Australian freshwater cod genus, Maccullochella (Percichthyidae)". Marine and Freshwater Research. 61 (9): 980–991. doi:10.1071/MF09145.
Gilbert P. Whitley (1929). "Studies in ichthyology. No. 3". Records of the Australian Museum. 17 (3): 101–143. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1975.17.1929.757.