Blackbanded sunfish

Last updated

Blackbanded sunfish
Enneacanthus chaetodon 03.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Centrarchidae
Genus: Enneacanthus
Species:
E. chaetodon
Binomial name
Enneacanthus chaetodon
(Baird, 1855)
Synonyms [2]
  • Pomotis chaetodonBaird, 1855
  • Mesogonistius chaetodon(Baird, 1855)

The blackbanded sunfish (Enneacanthus chaetodon) is a freshwater fish species of the sunfish family (Centrarchidae). They are found in the United States ranging from New Jersey to central Florida. [1] The defining feature of this Black-banded sunfish is the black vertical strips that it has on both sides of its body. The term "Enneacanthus" comes from the Greek terms ennea, which means "nine times", and acanthi, which means "thorn". [2] It is in a genus that consists of only three species along with the Banded Sunfish (Enneacanthus obesus) and the Bluespotted Sunfish (Enneacanthus gloriosus). Collectively, they are commonly referred to as the "Banded Sunfish" or "Little Sunfish". [3]

Contents

Description

Specimen in an aquarium. Enneacanthus chaetodon 02.jpg
Specimen in an aquarium.

The Black-banded sunfish is fairly small, maximum length of 10 cm, with an average life span of 3–4 years. The average length of this sunfish is around 6 centimeters. The Black-banded sunfish has a very compressed, deep body with a small mouth but big lower jaw extending upwards. [3] Its gill cover has a black spot, and the dorsal (top), anal (back/bottom), and caudal (tail) fins are black-mottled. Its dorsal fin stands upright with 10 spines and the tail fin is somewhat rounded. The body coloration is mostly a shiny silver with yellow spots. [4] The Black-banded sunfish gets its name from the six black vertical lines on each side, starting with the first line running through its eye and five more vertical lines back to the tail fin. [5]

Sexual dimorphism

Generally the males are heavier and more colorful than the females. [3] The males also are larger with longer fins, while the females become plumper when ripe with eggs. [5]

Habitat

The Black-banded Sunfish Enneacanthus chaetodon are found in the United States from New Jersey to central Florida. There are also reports that these fish are in the Delaware Valley, but there have not been any success in collecting fish from this area. [3] Black-banded sunfish are restricted to shallow, low-velocity, non-turbid waters of lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. They are strongly associated with aquatic plants, because it provides them with a habitat for foraging and cover. The fish population has been hurt over the past few years due to poor water conditions and pollution. [6]

Diet

The Black-banded Sunfish are carnivores. [3] In most locations, midge larvae are the predominant food source for Black-banded sunfish. However they also consume a wide variety of zooplankton, aquatic insects, and crustaceans. [4]

Behavior

The Black-banded sunfish is a peaceful, friendly fish that likes to group with others of the same species. They can, however, become aggressive and territorial when spawning. [5]

Reproduction

Black-banded sunfish are like other sunfish, with the male staking out a nest site normally among plants. Females lay their eggs in the nest, and then the males will drive them off. Like other sunfish, the males will guard their eggs until hatching and sometimes perhaps for a week after until the fry are free swimming. [6]

Threats and protection needs

The Black-banded sunfish is critically imperiled and vulnerable in much of its range along the Atlantic. Some of its reasons of decline are because of drying of ponds and swamps as well as contamination of water by pesticides. Also, taking Black-banded sunfish for aquariums poses a threat for populations of them in Virginia. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centrarchidae</span> Family of fishes

Centrarchidae, better known as sunfishes, is a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes, native only to North America. There are eight universally included genera within the centrarchid family: Lepomis, Micropterus, Pomoxis (crappies), Enneacanthus, Centrarchus, Archoplites, Ambloplites, and Acantharchus. A genetic study in 2012 suggests that the highly distinct pygmy sunfishes of the genus Elassoma are also centrarchids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluegill</span> Species of fish

The bluegill, sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or, as is common in Texas, "copper nose", is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands east of the Rocky Mountains. It is the type species of the genus Lepomis, from the family Centrarchidae in the order Perciformes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pumpkinseed</span> Species of fish

The pumpkinseed, also referred to as sun perch, pond perch, common sunfish, punkie, sunfish, sunny, and kivver, is a small to medium–sized North American freshwater fish of the genus Lepomis, from family Centrarchidae in the order Perciformes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foureye butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The foureye butterflyfish is a butterflyfish. It is alternatively called the four-eyed butterflyfish. This species is found in the Western Atlantic from Massachusetts, USA and Bermuda to the West Indies and northern South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warmouth</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacramento perch</span> Species of fish

The Sacramento perch is an endangered sunfish native to the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, Pajaro, and Salinas River areas in California, but widely introduced throughout the western United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redbreast sunfish</span> Species of fish

The redbreast sunfish is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the 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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green sunfish</span> Species of fish

The green sunfish is a species of aggressive freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. A panfish popular with anglers, the green sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists, they need a 55-75 gallon tank and can be fed minnows, mealworms, or nightcrawlers. They are usually caught by accident, while fishing for other game fish. Green sunfish can be caught with live bait, such as nightcrawlers, waxworms, mealworms, and blood worms. Grocery store baits, such as pieces of hot dog or corn kernels, can even catch fish. Green sunfish are aggressive and will hit small lures. They can be caught with fly fishing tackle. They usually get 10 inches long, but in some cases they can get 12 inches long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longear sunfish</span> Species of fish

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 (9.4 in), with a maximum recorded weight of 790 g (1.74 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 vermiculate blue-green bars on the sides of its head, the latter two features most pronounced in breeding males. A unique characteristic of longear sunfish is their elongated operculum flap, giving an appearance of a "long ear". It is black and often has a white margin. The pectoral fin is relatively short and would not reach the snout if it were reflected anteriorly. In breeding males, iridescent blue spots develop on the dorsum and sides and the fin membranes turn orange in all fins except the ventral ones, which may be blue to black, and the pectoral ones. Lepomis megalotis can be distinguished from closely related dollar sunfish L. marginatus by a greater number of cheek scale rows, by having one to two additional pectoral fin rays and by the slope of the opercular flap, which is distinctly upward in L. marginatus but is closer to horizontal in males of L. megalotis, although female and subadult L. megalotis may have upward slanting opercular flaps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey triggerfish</span> Species of fish

The grey triggerfish, or gray triggerfish, is a species of ray-finned fish in the triggerfish family. The species is native to shallow parts of the western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Argentina and also the eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea and off Angola on the west coast of Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banded sunfish</span> Species of fish

The banded sunfish is a freshwater fish of the family, Centrarchidae. They can grow to 2–3 inches long. They are native to North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowhead butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

Chaetodon xanthocephalus, known commonly as the Yellowhead butterflyfish, is a species of marine fish in the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean.

<i>Chaetodon falcula</i> Species of fish

Chaetodon falcula, the blackwedged butterflyfish or falcula butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow teardrop butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The yellow teardrop butterflyfish, also known as the Indian teardrop butterflyfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish of the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean from East Africa, to Sumatra, Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banded pygmy sunfish</span> Species of fish

The banded pygmy sunfish, Elassoma zonatum, is a species of pygmy sunfish endemic to the United States, where it is found from Indiana and Illinois to Texas to the Atlantic coast. It prefers densely vegetated bodies of slow-moving water. This species can reach 4.7 cm (1.9 in) in total length, though most do not exceed 3.5 cm (1.4 in).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf darter</span> Species of fish

The gulf 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 Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky. It is a colorful fish, males having vertical barring of red-orange and blue-green near the tail, growing to a length of about 7.8 centimeters (3.1 in). It is typically found in small and medium-sized creeks, often in very shallow water. It occurs over sandy bottoms and among aquatic vegetation such as Sparganium americanum, foraging among the plants and organic debris for insect larvae and small invertebrates. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackbanded darter</span> Species of fish

The blackbanded 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 native to the river systems of the southeastern United States where it is found in the states of Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. It lives over sandy or gravelly bottoms in smaller rivers and streams and its color varies depending on the different habitats in which it lives. It feeds on small insect larvae and is itself preyed on by larger fish. It spawns between February and June depending on locality. It is generally a common fish throughout most of its range.

<i>Chaetodon guentheri</i> Species of fish

Chaetodon guentheri, Günther's butterflyfish or the crochet butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to The western Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluespotted sunfish</span> Species of fish

The bluespotted sunfish is a species of fish in the family Centrarchidae, the sunfishes. It is native to the southeastern and eastern United States, its distribution extending as far north as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and far southern New York. It is native throughout most of its range, but some populations represent introductions, such as those in Lake Ontario and the upper Susquehanna River system.

<i>Elassoma evergladei</i> Species of fish

Elassoma evergladei, or the Everglades pygmy sunfish, is a species of fish from the genus Elassoma that is endemic to North America.

References

  1. 1 2 NatureServe (2014). "Enneacanthus chaetodon". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T202441A15362521. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T202441A15362521.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Enneacanthus chaetodon". FishBase . December 2019 version.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Blackbanded Sunfish". Animal World. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Blackbanded sunfish (Enneacanthus chaetodon)" (PDF). PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Enneacanthus chaetodon - Blackbanded sunfish". Tropical Fish. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Enneacanthus chaetodon (Baird, 1855) Blackbanded Sunfish". Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 24 May 2020.