Golden perch (Macquaria ambigua)

Scientific name: Macquaria ambigua Richardson, 1845

Golden perch (Macquaria ambigua)

The Golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) is a freshwater fish of the family Percichthyidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 10–30°C (50–86°F).

Golden perch care at a glance

Temperature
10–30°C (50–86°F)

Biology

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. 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. Their diet is dominated by yabbies (Cherax destructor), and a variety of fish species. Juveniles disperse throughout the floodplain to find food and cover. They feed on abundant zooplankton on recently inundated floodplains. Adults feed on fishes, mollusks and crayfish. Spawn from ear

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Macquaria ambigua
Family
Percichthyidae (Temperate perches)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
76.0
Common length
45.0
Depth range
10 m (33 ft)
Environment
Freshwater; demersal; potamodromous; depth range 10 - ? m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
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.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (tm=2-5; tmax=20)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated