| Bantam sunfish | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Centrarchidae |
| Genus: | Lepomis |
| Species: | L. symmetricus |
| Binomial name | |
| Lepomis symmetricus S. A. Forbes, 1883 | |
The bantam sunfish (Lepomis symmetricus) is a species of freshwater fish in the genus Lepomis common throughout Louisiana, in extreme southeastern Texas, in southern Arkansas, and in a few places in western Kentucky and western Tennessee.
The bantam sunfish is dark in color with around ten vertical stripes visible along each flank. The lower jaw protrudes noticeably beyond the upper. [2]
The northern and southern boundaries for the bantam sunfish coincide fairly heavily with the former Mississippi Embayment from southern Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. [3] As for the eastern and western boundaries, the bantam sunfish occurs along the Gulf Coast from Eagle Lake (in the Colorado River drainage) in Texas east through the Biloxi River system in Mississippi. [4] The species is common only in a few states. These states include Louisiana where the fish resides statewide, [5] extreme southeastern Texas, southern Arkansas, [6] and a few places in western Kentucky [7] and western Tennessee. [8] The bantam sunfish is also known to occur, less commonly, in parts of extreme southwestern Illinois, the Bootheel of Missouri, McCurtain County in Oklahoma, and some Mississippi and Gulf Coast drainages of the State of Mississippi. [4]
Historically, isolated populations of the bantam sunfish occurred above the Fall Line in the Illinois River at Pekin, in backwater ponds and sloughs of the Wabash River drainage in White County, Illinois, [9] and the Pine Hills. In Illinois, the range of the bantam sunfish is considered to be limited to the Wolf Lake region of Union County. [10] Newer records extend the Illinois range of the bantam sunfish south through the Clear Creek drainage to Horseshoe Lake, Alexander County, and through the Cache River drainage in Buttonland Swamp, Limekiln Slough, and Grassy Slough. [11] [12] Previous collections in the Cache River drainage failed to produce any bantam sunfish. [13]
One study of the gut contents of wild-caught bantam sunfish revealed a diverse diet dominated by gastropods, odonate larvae, and micro-crustaceans. [9] Bantam sunfish individuals of less than 21mm in length fed primarily upon aquatic Hemiptera, micro-crustaceans, and chironomids, while individuals of more than 40 mm in length commonly ate gastropods, amphipods, and larger dipteran larvae. Bantam sunfish of all size classes regularly consumed dragonfly larvae. [13]
The bantam sunfish has no known predators. Many predatory fish coexist in the habitat of bantam sunfish; however, predation has not been documented in literature reports. [13] One extensive study at Wolf Lake, Illinois found no evidence of predation on the bantam sunfish. [9] Gut analysis of potential predators, including largemouth bass, black crappie, white crappie, warmouth, bluegill, and yellow bullhead revealed a lack of predation on bantam sunfish. [13]
The bantam sunfish typically inhabits sloughs, oxbows, ponds, backwaters, lakes, and swamps. The vegetated margins of these environments are dominated by spatterdock, American lotus, broadleaf arrowhead, coontail ( Ceratophyllum demersum ), and duckweed ( Lemna spp.) and are the preferred habitat for this fish. Substrates commonly consist of detritus, mud, and silt, with some sand. [9]
Environmental degradation caused by anthropogenic disturbance, particularly drainage of wetlands, is probably the greatest threat to the persistence of bantam sunfish in the wild. [13] Wetlands and swamps have been channelized, dredged, drained, and converted to croplands. [14] Rapid population growth in the southern portions of the United States poses multiple threats to aquatic biota as the development of land and water resources continues to accelerate. [15] Over-collection for scientific research and educational purposes could become a problem given the bantam sunfish's short lifespan. [13]
The typical spawning period for the species throughout its range is from mid-April to early June. [9] Only large males at least one year and 40 mm in length appear to be sexually mature and do most of the spawning. [9] Females become sexually mature at one year of age; these individuals may be as short as 34 mm in length. [9] However, the largest females develop the earliest mature ova and probably contribute most to the spawning effort. [9]
There is little published data on the nest associates, nest sites and nesting behavior of the bantam sunfish in the wild. [13] One of the few accounts is from Robinson; [16] observations were made in a roadside pool in Saline County, Arkansas, where bantam sunfish had recently spawned in depressions in the mud and leaf litter substrate.
Environmental degradation caused by anthropogenic disturbance, particularly drainage of wetlands, is probably the greatest threat to the bantam sunfish. [13] "We are not aware of any current management activities being employed in any states focusing on populations of L. symmetricus, except that Illinois is apparently planning possible introduction of the species back into its historic range on the Illinois River (probably backwaters or oxbow lakes) near Pekin...We are not aware of any past or current conservation activities being employed in any states focusing on populations of L. symmetricus, except for its inclusion on State lists of endangered/threatened or special concern species". [13] Limited information on the spawning and nesting habits of bantam sunfish in the wild make it near impossible to determine if populations are reproducing at a sustainable level. [13]
The Piney Woods is a temperate coniferous forest terrestrial ecoregion in the Southern United States covering 54,400 square miles (141,000 km2) of East Texas, southern Arkansas, western Louisiana, and southeastern Oklahoma. These coniferous forests are dominated by several species of pine as well as hardwoods including hickory and oak. Historically the most dense part of this forest region was the Big Thicket though the lumber industry dramatically reduced the forest concentration in this area and throughout the Piney Woods during the 19th and 20th centuries. The World Wide Fund for Nature considers the Piney Woods to be one of the critically endangered ecoregions of the United States. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines most of this ecoregion as the South Central Plains.
Lepomis or true sunfish is a genus of North American freshwater fish from the family Centrarchidae in the order Perciformes. The generic name Lepomis derives from the Greek λεπίς ("scale") and πῶμα. The genus' most recognizable type species is perhaps the bluegill.
The warmouth, is a freshwater fish of the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) that is found throughout the eastern United States. Other local names include molly, redeye, goggle-eye, red-eyed bream, and strawberry perch.
The shadow bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. It is endemic to southeastern United States of America.
The redbreast sunfish is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to the river systems of eastern Canada and the United States. The redbreast sunfish reaches a maximum recorded length of about 30 centimetres (12 in).
The longear sunfish is a freshwater fish in the sunfish family, Centrarchidae, of order Perciformes. It is native to the area of eastern North America stretching from the Great Lakes down to northeastern Mexico. The longear sunfish reaches a maximum recorded length of about 24 cm (9.5 in), with a maximum recorded weight of 790g (1.7 lb). Most do not live beyond six years. The longear sunfish is quite colorful, with an olive to rusty-brown back, bright orange belly and blue-green bars on the sides of its head. A unique characteristic is their elongated operculum flap, giving an appearance of a "long ear".
The orangespotted sunfish is a North American species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. These fish are widely distributed across the middle and eastern United States, from the Rocky Mountains to the east, from the Great Lakes south into the Gulf Coast. The orangespotted sunfish is ecologically unique and thrives in turbid, shallow systems that have few predators and low oxygen contents. The species prefers vegetated areas in sluggish backwaters or lakes, and can also be found in turbid rivers. The orangespotted sunfish can extend its range in lower-quality waters, which is not characteristic to other sunfish. Orangespotted sunfish vary in total length and age for different river basin originations, but can be found to live four to seven years, and recorded lengths are up to 15 cm (5.9 in).
The bluehead shiner is a species of fish in the carp family, Cyprinidae. It is a true minnow. It is endemic to the central United States, where it is found in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma. It was also once known from Illinois.
The golden topminnow is a fish of the genus Fundulus and is a United States native fish mostly distributed throughout the southeast, ranging from Kentucky and Ohio south into Florida. Although it has such a wide distribution throughout the south, the habitats and micro-habitats that it occupies do not differ much from one area of distribution to others. The golden topminnow is a small surface feeding fish that tends to reproduce late in the spring season and on into the early parts of the summer, and although the fry reach maturity fairly quickly the longevity of the golden topminnow is quite short. Because the golden topminnow is lower in the trophic level and is a small fish, it primarily feeds on small and/or drifting organisms at, or near the surface of, vegetated areas. This particular topminnow is not currently listed as an endangered species, nor does it have any particular type of management plan.
The ghost shiner is a North American species of freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae. It is generally characterized as being a small bodied, silvery and fusiform shaped cyprinid. Notropis buchanani is morphologically similar to and often mistaken for the Mimic Shiner, which is evident by its former classification as a subspecies of Notropis volucellus.
The blacktail redhorse is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Moxostoma. The blacktail redhorse occupies North America, being located throughout Mississippi River tributaries on the former Mississippi Embayment, ranging from Southern Kentucky to Galveston Bay in Texas.
The Cypress minnow is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish from the carp family Cyprinidae. It is endemic to the United States where it occurs in the Mississippi and Ohio drainages as well as some other rivers which drain into the Gulf of Mexico.
Noturus exilis, also called the slender madtom, is a species of the catfish family Ictaluridae. Ictaluridae includes bullheads, madtoms, channel catfish, and blue catfish. Noturus exilis is found in the central portion of the Mississippi River basin, but is most abundant in Ozarkian streams. Slender madtoms occur west of the Mississippi River in the Ozarks of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri north to southern Wisconsin and Minnesota. It also occurs east of the Mississippi River in the uplands of Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky in the Tennessee, Cumberland, and Green drainages. Nelson first described Noturus exilis in 1876. The slender madtom is moderately large with a terminal to sub terminal mouth, flat head, small eyes, and black marginal bands on the median fins. Most slender madtoms are less than 90 millimetres (3.5 in). Noturus flavus and Noturus nocturnus are rather similar in shape and coloration to Norturus exilis. Slender madtoms inhabit small to medium-sized streams, in riffle and flowing pool habitats with coarse gravel to slab rock substrates. The presence of a shelter object, such as a large rock, seems to be important in habitat selection.
The dollar sunfish is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. It is categorized as a warm water pan-fish. Early settlers said that this species of sunfish resembled a European species they called bream. Historically it has been found along the Southern Atlantic coastal drainages from North Carolina to Florida, and west to Texas. Lepomis marginatus mainly feeds on detritus and filamentous algae as well as a few terrestrial insects. The juvenile and mature fish do not have many predators, but the eggs in the nest are in danger of predation from a few different species of fish.
The redspotted sunfish is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a sunfish from the family Centrarchidae which is native to the United States.
The bluntnose darter is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is found in eastern North America where it is found in slower moving and still waters.
The swamp darter is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is endemic to the Eastern United States.
The goldstripe darter is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is endemic to the southeastern United States where it is found in Gulf Slope streams from the Colorado River drainage in Texas to the Flint River in Georgia, the Atlantic Slope in Ocmulgee River system, Georgia, and the Mississippi embayment north as far as southeastern Missouri and western Kentucky. It is typically found in small springs, streams, and creeks with aquatic and marginal vegetation and detritus. The female spawns on multiple occasions between about mid-March and June, sticking the adhesive eggs to plants, gravel and the sides of rocks. The goldstripe darter is a common species with a wide range and numerous sub-populations, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The frecklebelly darter is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It primarily occurs in the upper Kentucky and Green river systems of eastern and central Kentucky and north-central Tennessee, being found mostly in the Cumberland Plateau and Highland Rim regions. The fish gets its name from gets its name from the scattered dark spots on its relatively pale underside. However, a possible more telling characteristic of the species is the systematical arrangement of the spots at the base of the tail as well as the continuous stripes down either side of the back. Total population size is unknown but figured to be relatively large. The frecklebelly darter is a benthic darter that relies on invertebrates as its principal diet. The frecklebelly darter can be found primarily in creeks and small rivers with a moderate gradient and a pool/riffle type flow, and spends most of its time in midwater areas of the stream. The major threats of the frecklebelly darter include decimation through perturbations such as strip mining as well as stream channelization projects. The darter is thought to have a high resilience with minimum population doubling time less than 15 months; it is also believed to have low vulnerability. Frecklebelly darter females contain about 100-300 mature ova depending on size. Fish become mature by age 1. Spawning in this darter species involves egg burial where the male mounts the female and deposits eggs in deep depressions created by receptive females.
