The Macquaria genus is a genus of medium-sized, predatory native fish in the Percichthyidae family. The Macquaria genus was created by merging the old genera Plectrotripes and Macquaria (Murray-Darling species) and Percalates (East Coast species) (McDonald, 1978). Thus the Macquaria genus currently holds the two species of native perch from the Murray-Darling Basin — golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) and Macquarie perch (Macquaria australasica) — and the two species of catadromous native perch in East Coast river systems — Australian bass (Macquaria novemaculeata) and estuary perch (Macquaria colonorum). Latest research using mitochondrial DNA comparisons suggests that Australian bass and estuary perch may belong in a separate genus, which may thus result in the resurrection of the Percalates genus (Jerry et al., 2001).