Lepomis
| Lepomis Temporal range: Middle Miocene to Recent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Redbreast sunfish (L. auritus), the type species of the genus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Centrarchidae |
| Genus: | Lepomis Rafinesque, 1819 |
| Type species | |
| Labrus auritus Linnaeus, 1758 | |
Lepomis is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family, Centrarchidae, in the order Perciformes. Perhaps the most recognizable species of this genus is the bluegill.
Some Lepomis species can grow to a maximum overall length of 41 cm (16 in), though most average around 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 in). They are widely distributed throughout the lakes and rivers of the United States and Canada, and several species have been transplanted and flourished around the world, even becoming pests. Trade in some Lepomis species is prohibited in Germany for this reason.[1] Many are sought by anglers as panfish, and large numbers are bred to stock lakes, rivers, and tributaries.
Lepomis species are sometimes referred to as bream, but the term more properly refers to the similar-looking but unrelated European cypriniform fish of genus Abramis.
The generic name Lepomis derives from the Greek λεπίς (scale) and πώμα (cover, plug, operculum).
Fossil record
The Red-ear Sunfish is the first-known species of Centrarchidae based on fossil records, as old as 13.6 million years, dating back to the Middle Miocene.[2]
Species
There are currently 13 recognized species in this genus:[3]
- Lepomis auritus (Linnaeus, 1758) (redbreast sunfish)
- Lepomis cyanellus (Rafinesque, 1819) (green sunfish)
- Lepomis gibbosus (Linnaeus, 1758) (pumpkinseed)
- Lepomis gulosus (G. Cuvier, 1829) (warmouth)
- Lepomis humilis (Girard, 1858) (orangespotted sunfish)
- Lepomis macrochirus (Rafinesque, 1819) (bluegill)
- Lepomis marginatus (Holbrook, 1855) (dollar sunfish)
- Lepomis megalotis (Rafinesque, 1820) (longear sunfish)
- Lepomis microlophus (Günther, 1859) (redear sunfish)
- Lepomis miniatus (D. S. Jordan, 1877) (redspotted sunfish)
- Lepomis peltastes (Cope, 1870) (northern sunfish)
- Lepomis punctatus (Valenciennes, 1831) (spotted sunfish)
- Lepomis symmetricus (S. A. Forbes, 1883) (bantam sunfish)
References
- ↑ Przybylski, Mirosław, and Grzegorz Zięba. "Invasive Alien Species Fact Sheet." NOBANIS – Invasive Alien Species Fact Sheet. NOBANIS. NOBANIS, 2011. Web. 5 Jan. 2015. Invasive Alien Species Fact Sheet - Lepomis gibbosus
- ↑ Centrarchidae (sunfish). Paleobiology Database.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2013). Species of Lepomis in FishBase. February 2013 version.