Redear sunfish

Redear sunfish

Taxobox
name = Redear sunfish
fossil_range=Middle Miocene to Recent
status = secure


image_width = 250px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Perciformes
familia = Centrarchidae
genus = "Lepomis"
species = "L. microlophus"
binomial = "Lepomis microlophus"
binomial_authority = ( Günther, 1859)The redear sunfish ("Lepomis microlophus"), also known as the shellcracker, Georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, and sun perch, is native to the southeastern United States, but since it is a popular sport fish it has been introduced to bodies of water all over North America. It generally resembles the bluegill except for coloration and somewhat larger size. It is dark-colored dorsally and yellow-green ventrally. The male has a cherry-red edge on its operculum; females have orange coloration in this area. The adult fish is between 20 and 24 cm in length. Max length is 43.2 cm. compared to a maximum of about 40 cm for the blegill.

The favorite food of this species is snails. These fish are bottomfeeders, meandering along lakebeds seeking and cracking open snails and other shelled creatures. The fish has thick pharyngeal teeth, hard, movable plates in its throat, which allow it to crunch exoskeletons. It is even capable of opening small clams. The specialization of this species for the deep-water, mollusk-feeding niche allows it to be introduced to lakes without the risk of competition with fish that prefer shallower water or surface-feeding.

During spawning, males congregate and create nests close together in colonies, and females visit to lay eggs. The redear sometimes hybridizes with other sunfish species.

Fossil record

The redear sunfish is the first-known species of Centrarchidae based on fossil records, as old as 16.3 miilion years, dating back to the Middle Miocene [http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=checkTaxonInfo&taxon_no=83690&is_real_user=1] .

References

*FishBase species|genus=Lepomis|species=microlophus|year=2005|month=November
*

*cite book |last=Rice |first=F. Philip |title=America's Favorite Fishing-A Complete Guide to Angling for Panfish |year=1964 |publisher=Harper Row |location=New York

*cite book |last=Rice |first=F. Philip |title=Panfishing |year=1984 |publisher=Stackpole Books |location=New York |isbn=0-943822-25-4


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  • redear sunfish — noun see redear * * * /red ear / a freshwater sunfish, Lepomis microlophos, of the lower Mississippi valley and southeastern states, having the gill cover margined with scarlet. Also called redear shellcracker. [1945 50; RED1 + EAR1] …   Useful english dictionary

  • redear sunfish — /red ear / a freshwater sunfish, Lepomis microlophos, of the lower Mississippi valley and southeastern states, having the gill cover margined with scarlet. Also called redear shellcracker. [1945 50; RED1 + EAR1] * * * …   Universalium

  • redear sunfish — red′ear sun′fish [[t]ˈrɛdˌɪər[/t]] n. ich a freshwater sunfish, Lepomis microlophus, of the lower Mississippi valley and SE states, having the gill cover margined with scarlet • Etymology: 1945–50 …   From formal English to slang

  • redear — ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun also redear sunfish ( s) : a common sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) of the southern and eastern United States resembling the bluegill but somewhat darker above and paler beneath and with the back part of the gill cover bright orange …   Useful english dictionary

  • redear — ☆ redear [red′ir΄ ] n. a sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) of the central and SE U.S., with bright red gill covers * * * …   Universalium

  • redear — ☆ redear [red′ir΄ ] n. a sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) of the central and SE U.S., with bright red gill covers …   English World dictionary

  • redear — noun Date: circa 1948 a common sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) of the southern and eastern United States that resembles the bluegill but has the back part of the operculum bright orange red and that feeds especially on snails called also… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Lepomis — Taxobox name = Lepomis fossil range=Middle Miocene to Recent image width = 250px image caption = Redbreast sunfish ( L. auritus ) regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Actinopterygii ordo = Perciformes familia = Centrarchidae genus =… …   Wikipedia

  • Panfish — A Panfish, also spelled pan fish or pan fish, is an edible game fish that usually doesn t outgrow the size of a frying pan. The term is also commonly used by anglers to refer to any small catch that will fit in a pan, but is large enough to be… …   Wikipedia

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