| Shadow bass | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Centrarchidae |
| Genus: | Ambloplites |
| Species: | A. ariommus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ambloplites ariommus Viosca, 1936 | |
The shadow bass (Ambloplites ariommus) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. It is endemic to southeastern United States of America. [2]
The shadow bass has a lateral line containing 36 to 42 scales. There are 11 spines and 11 to 12 soft rays in the dorsal fin while the anal fin contains six or seven spines and 10 to 11 soft rays. It has a large mouth with the maxilla at the level of the centre of its eye. They are olive to light brown in color and there are frequently two to four dark brown vertical bands and blotches along their flanks. The dorsal, anal and caudal fins are usually transparent to light yellow and are mottled with black and gray. The iris is reddish, [3] and the pupil is deep blue. There is a black band which runs from beneath the eye onto the gill cover. The spots on the scales of the shadow bass are triangular while the similar rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris) has rectangular spots on its scales. The shadow bass is a medium-sized sunfish which has an average standard length of around 10.16 centimetres (4.00 in) and a maximum length of 30.48 centimetres (12.00 in) and weight of 0.45 kilograms (0.99 lb). Females normally live longer than the males but the males are faster growing and grow larger. [4]
The shadow bass' native range includes the southeastern United States from the Apalachicola River drainage in Georgia to the lower Mississippi basin in Louisiana. Two isolated populations reported in the St. Francis, Black Arkansas Red, and upper Ouachita River drainages in Missouri and Arkansas in the Ozark regions may either not represent this species or are hybrids with Ambloplites rupestris. [5] In Tennessee, the shadow bass can be found in most drainages south of the Tennessee River. Other river drainages that shadow bass inhabit are Blackwater and Chattahoochee Rivers in southern Georgia and northern Florida. The apparent absence of shadow bass in Black Belt streams is probably the result of low stream flow and poor water-quality conditions during the late summer when temperatures are high. Channelization is a possible factor in the distribution of the shadow bass in Mississippi River systems, but no difference in the distribution of shadow bass was found. [6]
The shadow bass is a freshwater fish that inhabits a climate range of 38 to 29°N in the United States. It prefers slow-flowing water over substrates of silt-free mud, sand, gravel, and pebbles. Brushy and vegetated pools are preferred microhabitat in most streams. [7] Undercut banks and woody debris in small to medium-sized rivers and streams are also preferred habitat. The quantitative diet of shadow bass consists mostly of small invertebrates, mainly crayfish when less than three inches; after three inches, they can begin feeding on small fish species such as darters, madtoms, and minnows. [8] The main predator and competitor of the shadow bass is the smallmouth bass which inhabits the same microhabitat. Research on the introduction of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in shadow bass habitat to measure competition between the species, the data showed no effect on shadow bass populations. Factors by humans that might attribute to population decline of the shadow bass channelization, sedimentation from logging, and habitat encroachment. [7]
Shadow bass normally spawn from January to August, spawning season being determined by water temperature and so by location to some extent too. Spawning is earlier in southern Alabama or southern Georgia as the water is warmer in these regions, while fish found at higher latitudes typically spawn later when the water reached the ideal spawning temperature of 17–21 °C (63–70 °F). The breeding males show obvious darkening to the membranes of the pelvic and anal fins while these remain yellow or white in the females. Sexual maturity is attained at a year old and a mature female may lay 1,300 eggs in a spawning season, although after cold winters fewer, larger eggs are laid and this means that spawn hatching rates are not affected by temperature. This strategy of laying a smaller number of larger eggs after colder winters or a larger number of smaller eggs after milder winters ensures that the population of shadow bass has a consistent recruitment rate. [4]
The shadow bass is a member of the centrarchids or sunfish family and is closely related to the rock bass Ambloplites rupestris along with one more related species occurring naturally. [9] The shadow bass was previously considered to be a subspecies of the rock bass (A. rupestris). [10] It was first formally described in 1936 by Peter Viosca Jr. with the type locality given as Little Bogue Falaya Creek, 3 miles north of Covington, Louisiana. [11] The generic name is derived from Greek and is a compound of ambloo meaning "blunt" and oplites meaning "shield", [2] while the specific name means "large-eyed". [4]
Through its range even for the two isolated populations, the shadow bass is not listed as being in any danger, and the shadow bass is federally listed as G5 secure, [10] while the IUCN classify its status as Least Concern. [1] Current management for the shadow bass in the rivers in Mississippi was to protects pools and prevent sediment pollution in areas of shadow bass populations. [6] In most places, shadow bass are not considered a game fish and receive little management attention. In Missouri, however, where shadow bass has a demand in the game fish market, biologists are conducting population studies using mark and recapture methods and information for anglers to provide data to determine what, if any, angling restrictions need to apply to shadow bass fishing. [9]
The IGFA all tackle world record for the shadow bass stands at 0.82 kg (1 lb 13 oz) caught from the Spring River in Arkansas. [12]
The spotted bass, also called spotty, or spots in various fishing communities, is a species of North American freshwater fish belonging to the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of the order Perciformes. It is noted for the rows of dark spots below the lateral line, which give it its common name. One of the black basses, it is native to the Mississippi River basin and across the Gulf states, from central Texas through the Florida panhandle. Its native range extends into the western Mid-Atlantic states and it has been introduced into western North Carolina and Virginia. It has also been introduced to southern Africa, where it has become established in some isolated waters as an invasive species.
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus Micropterus, and is a popular game fish sought by anglers throughout the temperate zones of North America, and has been spread by stocking—as well as illegal introductions—to many cool-water tributaries and lakes in Canada and more so introduced in the United States. The maximum recorded size is approximately 27 inches (69 cm) and 12 pounds (5.4 kg).
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.
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 pond perch, common sunfish, punkie, sunfish, sunny, and kivver, is a small/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 Suwannee bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. One of the black basses, This species is native to just two river systems in Florida and Georgia, although it has been introduced elsewhere.
Ambloplites is a genus of North American freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. The type species is A. rupestris, the rock bass, and the species of this genus are known collectively as the rock basses.
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 Perciformes and can be distinguished from other similar species by the six spines in the anal fin.
The Roanoke bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. This species is endemic to rivers in the eastern United States of America, where it is native only to the states of Virginia and North Carolina.
The Ozark bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. It is native only to the White River, Sac River, James River, and Pomme de Terre River drainages of Missouri and Arkansas. The species is commonly referred to as “goggle-eye”.
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, rouge ear sunfish and sun perch) is a freshwater fish in the family Centrarchidae and is native to the southeastern United States. Since it is a popular sport fish, it has been introduced to bodies of water all over North America. It is known for its diet of mollusks and snails.
The golden redhorse is a species of freshwater fish endemic to Ontario and Manitoba in Canada and the Midwestern, southern, and eastern United States. It lives in calm, often silty or sandy waters in streams, small to large rivers, and lakes.
The northern hogsucker is a freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Catostomidae, the suckers. It is native to the United States and Canada where it is found in streams and rivers. It prefers clear, fast-flowing water, where it can forage on the riverbed for crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic insects, algae and detritus. It turns over small pebbles and scrapes materials off rocks and sucks up the particles, and other species of fish sometimes station themselves downstream from its activities so as to garner disturbed food fragments. Breeding takes place on gravel bottoms in shallow riffles in late spring. This fish is susceptible to such man-made disturbances as channelization, sedimentation, pollution, and dam construction. However, it has a wide range and is a common species so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The redfin shiner is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. The redfin shiner is most commonly found in the Ohio and Mississippi River basins, as well as in drainages of the Great Lakes. The diet of the redfin shiner consists mostly of algae and small insects. This species prefers calm water in low-gradient streams over substrates of gravel or sand with some vegetation.
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.
Etheostoma zonale, the banded 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. It is mainly found in the Mississippi Basin, ranging from the Verdigris River in Kansas eastward to the Allegheny River in New York, and from the Minnesota River in Minnesota southward to the Ouachita River in Arkansas and the Tennessee River in Alabama. Its typical habitat in small and medium-sized rivers is riffles over cobble or gravel, rock slabs, and small boulders. It feeds on the riverbed on small insect larvae and is itself eaten by birds and larger fish. Males become more colorful and become territorial before spawning which takes place in spring. The females attach the eggs to waterweed. The population trend of this fish seems to be stable, it is a common species with numerous sub-populations over a wide range, no major threats have been identified and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
The saddleback 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 eastern United States. This darter species is widespread, occurring from the Escambia River drainage west to the Mississippi River basin and as far north as the Wabash River historically. Some populations have been reported in the Tennessee River drainage. The saddleback darter is aptly named as it has 5 saddle-like patterns on its dorsum, with the first occurring near the first dorsal fin and the fifth near the caudal penduncle. Adults can attain a maximum size of about 3 inches or 7.8 centimeters. The saddleback darter typically occurs over sand and gravel runs of creeks and small to medium-sized rivers and is sometimes found in very shallow water. This darter's diet consists of invertebrates such as caddisfly larvae, beetles, mayflies, and stoneflies. The saddleback darter deposits eggs over sand and gravel shoals during the spring. This species has an average lifespan between 2 and 3 years.
