Animalia Life

Maccullochella peelii peelii and M. peelii mariensis
FAMILY
Percichthyidae
TAXONOMY
Maccullochella peelii peelii Mitchell, 1838, Peel River, New South Wales, Australia. M. peelii mariensis Rowland, 1993, Mary River, Queensland, Australia.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Goodo, ponde.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Total length (both subspecies) 80 in (180 cm); weight 250 lb (113 kg). Body large, elongate, and heavy. Body color ranges from olive to cream, occasionally yellowish, with reticulated mottling of dark gray or green along body and onto fins. Fins brownish with white edges, pelvic fin is white. Dorsal fin positioned posteriorly along back. Caudal peduncle of Mary River cod is shorter and the pelvic fins are longer than in Murray cod. Caudal fin is rounded in both subspecies. There are 10–12 spines and 13–16 soft rays in dorsal fin, 3 spines and 11–13 soft rays in anal fin, and 19–20 soft rays in pectoral fin.
DISTRIBUTION
Murray cod: Murray-Darling River system of Australia; absent from upper reaches of these rivers and from the smaller tributaries; its range has shrunk because of habitats destruction. Has been stocked elsewhere. Mary River cod: River Mary in Queensland, Australia, although attempts have been made to establish populations elsewhere, such as the Brisbane River.
HABITAT
Both subspecies favor structure, mainly submerged logs, rocks, or undercut banks, as well as deeper holes in turbid, slow flowing, or clear, rocky reaches of rivers.
BEHAVIOR
Territorial and will defend a piece of
HABITAT
, usually a hole or some form of structure. Those in lakes will defend a larger area. Juveniles are migratory.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Carnivorous as adults and older juveniles, feeds upon macroinvertebrates, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small terrestrial mammals that enter water. Young juveniles feed upon zooplankton.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Both subspecies mature in about five to six years and may live to 60 years. Courtship and spawning occurs during the austral spring and early summer. Eggs are demersal and guarded by the male. Hatching occurs in one to two weeks to coincide with flooding that brings food for the post-larvae.
CONSERVATION STATUS
The Murray cod is not listed, but is vulnerable to habitats destruction and overfishing. The Mary River cod is classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Culturally important to aboriginal peoples of Australia. Formerly important as commercial species, with overfishing and
HABITAT
destruction leading to its decline. The Murray cod is an important but highly regulated game fish.

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