| Centrarchidae (Sunfishes) |
| 97 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 10 kg; max. reported age: 23 years |
|
benthopelagic; pH range: 7 - 7.5; dH range: 10; depth range - 7 m |
| North America: St. Lawrence - Great Lakes, Hudson Bay (Red River), and Mississippi River basins; Atlantic drainages from North Carolina to Florida and to northern Mexico. The species has been introduced widely as a game fish and is now cosmopolitan. Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction. |
|
Dorsal spines (total): 10-10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11-14; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 10-12; Vertebrae: 30-32. Mouth large; maxillary extending beyond the eye. Pelvic fins not joined by a membrane. Green to olive dorsally, milk-white to yellow ventrally, with a black band running from the operculum to the base of the caudal fin. Caudal fin rounded. Caudal fin with 17 rays (Ref. 2196). |
| Adults inhabit clear, vegetated lakes, ponds, swamps, and backwaters and pools of creeks and rivers (Ref. 5723). Usually found over mud or sand and common in impoundments (Ref. 5723). They prefer quiet, clear water and over-grown banks. Adults feed on fishes, crayfish and frogs; young feed on crustaceans, insects and small fishes. Sometimes cannibalistic. They don't feed during spawning; as well as when the water temperature is below 5°C and above 37°C (Ref. 30578). An introduced species in Europe reported to avoid fast-flowing waters and to occur in estuaries with a salinity up to 13 ppt (Ref. 59043). Popular game fish in North America. Preyed upon by herons, bitterns, and kingfishers (Ref. 1998). Excellent food fish (Ref. 1998). |
|
(Ref. 96402)
|
| potential pest |
|
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