Dollar sunfish

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Dollar sunfish
Lepomis marginatus UMFS 2014 1.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Centrarchiformes
Family: Centrarchidae
Genus: Lepomis
Species:
L. marginatus
Binomial name
Lepomis marginatus
(Holbrook, 1855)
Synonyms [2]
  • Pomotis marginatusHolbrook, 1855

The dollar sunfish (Lepomis marginatus) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (family Centrarchidae) of order Centrarchiformes. 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. [3] Lepomis marginatus mainly feeds on detritus and filamentous algae as well as a few terrestrial insects (Homoptera, Hymenoptera [4] [ page needed ]). 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.

Contents

The dollar sunfish can have different breeding seasons depending on where it is located geographically. On average the dollar sunfish breeds from April to September, and in some states such as North Carolina, it breeds from May to August. They always finish breeding before the weather turns cold. These fish breed mainly on sandy substrates. "Bourgeois" males build and tend nests, court females, and care for eggs and young. [5] The average lifespan is around 6 years, and it can grow up to a maximum of 100 mm.[ citation needed ]

Currently there are very well-managed creel limits for the sunfish species. The creel limits help to protect the species from being over-harvested. Other species of sunfish have been stocked in Tennessee lakes; however, the dollar sunfish has yet to be stocked in any of the river drainages of Tennessee.

Geographic distribution

Historically, the dollar sunfish has been found along Southern Atlantic coastal drainages from North Carolina to Florida, and extending west to Texas. The species is most common in the southeastern United States, becoming increasingly uncommon in the western part of its range [6] [7] Its current range in North America is the Tar River in North Carolina to Brazos River in Texas in the USA; the former Mississippi Embayment in the US from western Kentucky and eastern Arkansas south to Gulf of Mexico. [2] There have been a few records of the dollar sunfish in the Tennessee and Mississippi river drainage. However, due to its great similarity in appearance to younger specimens of the longear sunfish, L. megalotis, the distribution of L. marginatus has not been well understood in certain portions of its range. [4] [ page needed ]

Description

The dollar sunfish is a small sunfish species, achieving a length of 4–5 inches (10–13 cm) as an adult. [8] Like longear sunfish, the dark ear flap on the operculum is outlined in white. There are bright blue lines that start near the fish's mouth and extend, often discontinuously, through the operculum. The dollar sunfish typically has twelve rays on each of its pectoral fins. [9] Its lateral line is often faintly outlined in red. [10] The caudal fin has a shallow fork. [9] During the spawning season, males will develop brighter coloration, with deep orange color appearing along the belly accompanied by ventral extension of the rows of iridescent scales found on the body. [8]

Ecology

The dollar sunfish has a fairly specific diet. Due to its small gape size it cannot open its mouth large enough to eat many of the smaller larvae fish swimming in its habitat. Instead its diet consists of much smaller living organisms. McLane listed midge larvae and microcrustaceans as the major food items for dollar sunfish. Stomachs of specimens from Tennessee contained much detritus and filamentous algae and a few terrestrial insects (Homoptera, Hymenoptera), probably indicating both benthic- and surface-oriented feeding behavior. [4] This means that the dollar sunfish feeds on living organisms both in the water and on top of the water. They seem to focus more on the easier attainable prey, which means they don't expend a lot of energy for feeding. The juveniles and adults do not have many predators other than humans. However, the eggs and larvae are at risk of predation from larger fish such as largemouth bass, other sunfish, and some invertebrates. The only real competitor the dollar sunfish might have is another species of sunfish. This is highly unlikely though because the different species of sunfish usually occupy different habitats and zones. The micro-distribution of the dollar sunfish is characterized by a pH of 7 – 7.8, and a temperature of 16 – 28 degrees Celsius (61 – 82 degrees Fahrenheit) [11] They are often found in slow moving, small to large streams, floodplain pools, and oxbow lakes, ponds, and vegetated areas of large reservoirs. More specifically they are usually found over substrates of sand or clay overlain with silt and organic debris, and are often associated with submerged aquatic vegetation, hydrophytes, and overhanging vegetation along undercut banks.

Life history

The spawning season of the dollar sunfish occurs in the spring, from April - October at water temperatures of 16.8 - 25.6 degrees Celsius; peak spawning activity during late spring and summer. [12] Their nests are solitary, usually adjacent to logs or some other structure; nests range from 30 – 94 cm in diameter, are 15 – 20 cm deep at center, and are usually constructed over sand. [13] Usually the males will make the nest on a hard sand substrate. Females produce an average of 3302 eggs, with a range of 322 – 9206, depending on their body size. [14] Individuals in Carolina are mature at age two and have a life span of six years. [8] There are not many human induced factors influencing the life history of the dollar sunfish. However, as dams were built across the Tennessee and Mississippi river valley the populations seemed to decrease. The dams took away their natural habitat, but the dollar sunfish have adapted and can now be found in some reservoirs in West Tennessee and Florida.

Management

Laws and regulations exist to protect dollar sunfish populations. Most states enforce a creel limit, which is a limit on the maximum number of fish that a single person can catch in one day. However, there is no creel limit or size limit for the nongame pan fish in the state of Tennessee. [15] The dollar sunfish is not federally or state listed as threatened or endangered. However, it is vulnerable to habitat destruction. State conservation and resource agencies, such as TWRA, are currently working to protect this species. There are also some areas set aside in the Mississippi and Ohio Valley plains to help conserve the populations. [16]

Related Research Articles

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

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.

<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 Centrarchiformes.

<i>Lepomis</i> Genus of fishes

Lepomis or true sunfish is a genus of North American freshwater fish from the family Centrarchidae in the order Centrarchiformes. The generic name Lepomis derives from the Greek λεπίς ("scale") and πῶμα. The genus' most recognizable species is perhaps the bluegill.

<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 freshwater fish of the genus Lepomis, from the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) in the order Centrarchiformes. It is endemic to eastern North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pygmy sunfish</span> Genus of ray-finned fishes

Elassoma is a genus of freshwater fish, the only member of subfamily Elassomatinae of the sunfish family Centrarchidae in the order Perciformes. It is sometimes classified as a separate family, the Elassomatidae, in a monotypic suborder, Elassomatoidei, in Perciformes. The type species is E. zonatum, the banded pygmy sunfish. The Elassomatinae are known collectively as pygmy sunfishes, but are considered by some authorities not to be true sunfishes, which are members of the family Centrarchidae. Some researchers believe they are related to sticklebacks and pipefishes rather than Perciformes, though genetic research strongly implies a close relationship with the centrarchids. Currently the Integrated Taxonomic Information System classifies them in the family Elassomatidae rather than Centrarchidae.

<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">Rock bass</span> Species of freshwater fish

The rock bass, also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, red eye, and black perch, is a freshwater fish native to east-central North America. This red-eyed fish is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Centrarchiformes and can be distinguished from other similar species by the six spines in the anal fin.

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

The shadow bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Centrarchiformes. It is endemic to southeastern United States of America.

<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 (Centrarchidae) of the order Centrarchiformes. 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 Centrarchiformes. The green sunfish does not always grow large enough to be an appealing target for anglers, but it is kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists. They grow to be 3–6 inches (7.6–15.2 cm) long on average, but can achieve a length of 12 inches (30 cm).

<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 Centrarchiformes. 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">Redear sunfish</span> Species of fish

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.

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

The orangespotted sunfish is a North American species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Centrarchiformes. 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).

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

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.

<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">Spotted sunfish</span> Species of fish

The spotted sunfish, also known as a stumpknocker, is a member of the freshwater sunfish family Centrarchidae and order Centrarchiformes. The redspotted sunfish, redear sunfish and pumpkinseed sunfish are its closest relatives. Lepomis punctatus is olive-green to brown in color with black to reddish spots at the base of each scale that form rows of dots on the side. The scientific name punctatus refers to this spotted pattern. It was first described in 1831 by Valenciennes.

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

The redspotted sunfish, also known as a stumpknocker, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a sunfish from the family Centrarchidae which is native to the United States. The redspotted sunfish was previously considered to be a western subspecies of spotted sunfish but was distinguished as a separate species by Warren in 1992.

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

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

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References

  1. ↑ NatureServe (2013). "Lepomis marginatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T202557A18232973. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T202557A18232973.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Lepomis marginatus". FishBase . December 2019 version.
  3. ↑ Hubbs, C., R.J. Edwards, and G. P. Garrett. 1991. An Annotated Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of Texas with keys to Identification of Species. The Texas Journal of Science 43(4):1-56.
  4. 1 2 3 Etnier, D.A., and W.C. Starnes. 1993. The Fishes of Tennessee, University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville. 681pp.
  5. ↑ Breder CM. (1936) The Reproductive habits of North American Sunfishes (family Centrarchidae). Zoologica,21,1-47.
  6. ↑ Robinson, H.W., and T.M. Buchanan. 1988. Fishes of Arkansas. The university of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville Arkansas.
  7. ↑ Loftus, W.F., and J.A. Kushlan. 1987. Freshwater Fishes of Southern Florida Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences 31(4):1-344.
  8. 1 2 3 Mettee, Maurice F.; O'Neil, Patrick E.; Pierson, J. Malcolm (2022). "Dollar Sunfish". Excerpt from book "Fishes of Alabama and the Mobile Basin". Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  9. 1 2 Koaw LC (2022). "DOLLAR SUNFISH - Lepomis marginatus". Koaw Nature. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  10. ↑ "Discover Fishes: Dollar Sunfish". Florida Museum. 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  11. ↑ Lundie, Adam. "Lepomis marginatus". FishProfiles.com. FishProfiles.
  12. ↑ Davis, J.R. 1972. The Spawning Behavior, Fecundity Rates and Food Habits of the Redbreast Sunfish in Southeastern North Carolina. Proc. Ann. Meet., Southeastern Assoc. Game Fish Comm. 25:566-60.
  13. ↑ Davis, J.R. 1972. The Spawning Behavior, Fecundity Rates and Food Habits of the Redbreast Sunfish in southeastern North Carolina. Proc. Ann. Meet., Southeastern Assoc. Game Fish Comm. 25:566-60.
  14. ↑ Sandow, Jr, J.T., D.R. Holder, and L.E. Moswain. 1975. Life History of the Redbreast sunfish in the Satilla River, Georgia. In Proceedings of the Annual Conference Southeaster Association of Game and Fish Commissioners. 28(1974):279-295.
  15. ↑ "Statewide Limits and Regulations | 2012 Tennessee Fishing Guide". Archived from the original on 2012-10-28. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  16. ↑ "Appendix 4.28: Species list by taxonomic class for Tier I Conservation Areas" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
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