Macquaria ambigua (Richardson, 1845)

Golden perch

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Perciformes \| Percichthyidae
Synonyms	Datnia ambigua, Plectroplites ambiguus, Ctenolates macquariensis, ... more
Common names	... more

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Image of Macquaria ambigua (Golden perch)

Picture by Yau, B.

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Main reference

Allen, G.R. 1989. (Ref. 5259)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator : Arratia, Gloria | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 76.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 44894); common length : 45.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5259); max. published weight: 24.0 kg (Ref. 6390); max. reported age: 20 years (Ref. 6390)

Length at first maturity

, range 20 - 50 cm

Environment

Demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243); freshwater; depth range 10 - ? m (Ref. 27439)

Climate / Range

Temperate; 10°C - 30°C (Ref. 2060); 19°S - 38°S

Oceania: Australia, Murray-Darling system (except in higher tributaries), Dawson-Fitzroy system of southeastern Queensland. Also in Lake Eyre and Bulloo River drainages and floodplain lakes of Western Victoria and New South Wales. Widely introduced to other coastal systems of Queensland and New South Wales.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Golden perch live throughout the river systems, from the clear, fast flowing upper reaches to the turbid, slow flowing lower reaches and associated billabongs and backwaters. They favor deep pools with plenty of cover from fallen timber, rocky ledges or undercut banks (Ref. 27439, 44894). Prefer warm, slow-moving, turbid sections of streams. Also occur in flooded lakes, backwaters and impoundments. Tolerant of temperatures between 4° and 35°C and high salinity levels (up to 35 p.p.t.). Solitary species (Ref. 44894). Their diet is dominated by yabbies (Cherax destructor), and a variety of fish species (Ref. 27439). Juveniles disperse throughout the floodplain to find food and cover (Ref. 27440). They feed on abundant zooplankton on recently inundated floodplains (Ref. 6390, 44894). Adults feed on fishes, mollusks and crayfish (Ref. 44894). Spawn from early spring to late autumn. Golden perch is Australia's most migratory freshwater fish species (Ref. 6390). Spawn in flooded backwaters near the surface at night after heavy spring and summer rains. Usually a long upstream spawning migration is undertaken (movements of 2000 kilometers by tagged fish have been documented). Eggs float near the surface and hatch in 24-36 hours. Males mature after 2-3 years (20-30 centimeters), females after 4 years (40 centimeters) (Ref. 44894). They are being reared by private and government hatcheries in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland (Ref. 27552) and the fry and fingerlings produced from these hatcheries are stocked in public waters and farm dams (Ref. 26869).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Harmless

Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment Abundance	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

Tools
Biogeographic modelling \| E-book \| Field guide \| Length-frequency wizard \| Life-history tool \| Point map

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Check for Aquarium maintenance \| Check for Species Fact Sheets \| Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page \| Point data \| Common names \| Photos

Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)

PD₅₀ = 0.5625

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (tm=2-5; tmax=20)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Low to moderate vulnerability (35 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Binohlan, Crispina B.

Modified by Ortañez, Auda Kareen

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