Centrarchidae, better known as sunfishes, is a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Centrarchiformes, 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.
Teleostei, members of which are known as teleosts, is, by far, the largest infraclass in the class Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes, and contains 96% of all extant species of fish. Teleosts are arranged into about 40 orders and 448 families. Over 26,000 species have been described. Teleosts range from giant oarfish measuring 7.6 m (25 ft) or more, and ocean sunfish weighing over 2 t, to the minute male anglerfish Photocorynus spiniceps, just 6.2 mm (0.24 in) long. Including not only torpedo-shaped fish built for speed, teleosts can be flattened vertically or horizontally, be elongated cylinders or take specialised shapes as in anglerfish and seahorses.
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.
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.
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 Sacramento perch is from the family, Centrarchidae, characterized by dorsal fins with spiny elements and known for its nesting behavior. There are about 31 species in this family, which include sunfishes, crappies, and basses. The Sacramento perch is considered in the sunfish group. It is the only species of Centrarchidae whose native habitat resides west of the Rocky Mountains, while all the other species are native to the east.
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 grow to be 10 inches (25 cm) long, but can achieve a length of 12 inches (30 cm).
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.
The redear sunfish, also known as the shellcracker, Georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, and sun perch, is a freshwater fish in the family Centrarchidae and is native to the southeastern United States. Due to its popularity as a sport fish, it has been widely introduced across North America.
The pirate perch is a freshwater fish that commonly inhabits coastal waters along the east coast of the United States and the backwater areas of the Mississippi Valley. This species is often found towards the bottom of clear, warm water habitats with low currents. These fish are normally solitary, carnivorous, and nocturnal. The pirate perch is known to consume live mosquito larva, amphipods, glass shrimp, meal worms, small fish, dragonfly and stonefly larvae, and earthworms.
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 of 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 banded sunfish is a freshwater fish of the family, Centrarchidae. They can grow to 2–3 inches long. They are native to North America.
The least chub is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae, the only member of the genus Iotichthys. This species is found only in Utah and more recently in Idaho in the United States. Due to habitat degradation and introduction of non-native fishes, it is currently limited to a few spring complexes in Utah and the Snake River Valley in Idaho.
Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, to spawn refers to the process of freely releasing eggs and sperm into a body of water ; the physical act is known as spawning. The vast majority of aquatic and amphibious animals reproduce through spawning. These include the following groups:
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 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).
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 bantam sunfish 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 blackbanded sunfish is a freshwater fish species of the sunfish family (Centrarchidae). They are found in the United States ranging from New Jersey to central Florida. 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". It is in a genus that consists of only three species along with the Banded Sunfish and the Bluespotted Sunfish. Collectively, they are commonly referred to as the "Banded Sunfish" or "Little Sunfish".
