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.
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 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.
The flier is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a sunfish from the family Centrarchidae which is endemic to the southern United States of America. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Centrarchus. A Second World War United States Navy submarine was named the USS Flier after this fish.
The northern leatherside chub is a cyprinid fish of western North America.
The scrawled cowfish is a species of boxfish native to the western tropical and equatorial Atlantic, as well as the Gulf of Mexico. They range in size from 8–15 inches (20–38 cm), with a maximum length of 18 inches (46 cm), and can be found at depths between 6 and 80 feet. It is common to occasional in Florida and Bahamas; occasional to uncommon in the Caribbean. It also occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, north to Massachusetts, Bermuda and south to Brazil in tropical and warm temperate waters.
The Cuatro Ciénegas killifish is an endangered species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It is endemic to Cuatro Ciénegas in Mexico, where it exists in severely fragmented habitats within the valley.
The Key silverside is a species of fish in the family Atherinopsidae: Menidiinae. It is endemic to the Florida Keys.
The Sonoyta pupfish or Quitobaquito pupfish is an endangered species of pupfish from Sonora in Mexico and Arizona in the United States.
The scaly sand 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. It is found in the coastal plain area of the Mississippi River basin, typically in medium-sized streams with slow currents over sandy substrates where it feeds on midge larvae and other small invertebrates. The slender body is semi-translucent, yellowish with a dozen or so dark bars. This fish has a wide range and is relatively common, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as a "least-concern species".
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 Gulf Coast pygmy sunfish, Elassoma gilberti, is a species of pygmy sunfish endemic to Florida, United States. This species can reach 2.5 centimetres (0.98 in) in standard length.
The striped shiner is a member of the family Cyprinidae. It a silvery fish with three to four dorsolateral stripes and dark crescents on the sides. The scales and sensory pores on the snout can be outlined in black. Fins are milky to clear in color while the caudal fins have a milky base with a black or gray spot. Males can have pink snouts with areas of red or pink on the rest of the body. They have large, terminal mouths and can get up to nine inches in length.
The silver chub is a species of freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae found in North America.
The chain pipefish is a pipefish species. It inhabits the western Atlantic from Virginia, Bermuda and northern Gulf of Mexico to Campeche and Jamaica, but is absent from the Bahamas. It is a marine subtropical reef-associated fish, up to 38 cm length.
Fundulus nottii, the bayou topminnow or southern starhead topminnow, is a fish of the family Fundulidae found in the southeastern United States.
The bay whiff is part of the family Paralichthyidae. This family is known as "left-eye flounders". They are one of the most common flatfish of the Gulf of Mexico. They are benthic ambush predators with the ability to camouflage themselves on or just below the surface. They are often solitary animals with few individuals. They vary in color from light to dark in life and are brownish in color after death. They have two dark spots on the caudal peduncle and a light spot under the pectoral fin. The average size of the Bay whiff is 15 cm and the maximum recorded length is 20 cm. The lateral line is straight along the body. It has a large mouth. The opercle on the blind side has no cirri. Their pelvic fins are also asymmetrical.
The Gulf butterfish is a fish species of the family Stromateidae found in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of the Eastern United States.
The East Rim 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 species has a range of 400-2000 sq. miles across tributaries of the Cumberland River from Fishing Creek in Kentucky to just below the Obey River in Tennessee. It inhabits current-swept rocky pools and adjacent riffles of creeks and small to medium rivers.
The Altamaha shiner is a species of fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is endemic to the Piedmont region of Georgia, where it occurs in the upper areas of the Altamaha River drainage area, primarily above the Fall Line in north-central Georgia.
The American Fisheries Society, is the "world’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to strengthening the fisheries profession, advancing fisheries science, and conserving fisheries resources." It is a member-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization governed by an executive director, a governing board, and officers who are guided by the AFS's organizational documents, a constitution, and a set of rules. Their stated mission is "to improve the conservation and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems by advancing fisheries and aquatic science and promoting the development of fisheries professionals." AFS publishes five peer-reviewed fish journals, books, and the magazine Fisheries, organizes seminars and workshops that promote scientific research and fisheries management, and encourages fisheries education through 58 university-based student subunits. AFS has 48 chapters comprising four geographic regions in North America — North Central, Northeastern, Southern, and Western — and includes two "bi‐national" chapters and a Mexico chapter.
