The family Percichthyidae is of great significance in temperate Australian freshwater environments in terms of their ecological influence and their importance to humans.  The evolution of the group has resulted in massive morphological and ecological diversification from the small pygmy perches (up to ~10 cm), enigmatic blackfishes and larger perches and cods (up to ~1.8 m).  On the whole, members of this family are the largest fish species historically present in most habitats and an unusual biogeographic quirk is they have the highest number of sympatric genera and species of any freshwater fish family in Australia.  After a poorly understood taxonomic history, the relationships within and between other families has been clarified.  Relationships to other families are not yet fully resolved, but there is a tantalising potentially monophyletic relationship with freshwater perches from North America (Centrarchidae) and Asia (Sinipercidae), along with the marine families Cirrhitidae, Cheilodactylidae, Oplegnathidae, Aplodactylidae, Chironemidae and Enoplosidae.  Within the family, South American species (Percichthys, Percilia) are nested within the Australian percichthyids.  One major change to the taxonomy of Percichthyidae is the placement of Bass and Estuary Perch back into the genus Percalates and their removal from the family.  Percalates appears to be unrelated to any currently recognised family.  In this presentation we will explore percichthyid phylogenetic relationships, provide a time scale of their evolution using a biogeographically calibrated molecular clock and provide insights into the evolution of body size and other traits within the family.