MURRAY

See also:

• COD

COD (Oligorus macquariensis)  , one of the largest of the numerous fresh-water Perciform fishes of Australia, and the most celebrated for its excellent flavour . It belongs to the family Serranidae . Its taxonomic affinities lie in the direction of the perch and not of the cod family . The shape of the body is that of a perch, and the dorsal fin consists of a spinous Murray Cod . and rayed portion, the number of spines being eleven . The length of the spines varies with age, old individuals having shorter spines—that is, a lower dorsal fin . The form of the head and the dentition also resemble those of a perch, but none of the bones of the head has a serrated margin . The scales are small . The colour varies in different localities; it is generally brownish, with a greenish tinge and numerous small dark green spots . As implied by the name, this fish has its headquarters in the Murray River and its tributaries, but it occurs also in the northern parts of New South Wales . It is the most important food fish of these rivers, and is said to attain a length of more than 3 ft. and a weight of 120 lb .