Rock bass

Rock bass

Taxobox
name = rock bass
status = secure


image_width = 250px
image_caption = rock bass
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Perciformes
familia = Centrarchidae
genus = "Ambloplites"
species = "A. rupestris"
binomial = "Ambloplites rupestris"
binomial_authority = (Rafinesque, 1817)

The rock bass ("Ambloplites rupestris", "Ambloplites Ariommus", "Ambloplites Constellatus"), also known as the "rock perch" or "goggle-eye", is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. They are similar in appearance to smallmouth bass but are usually quite a bit smaller. The average rock bass is between 6-10 inches, and they are rarely over a pound. Rock bass are native to the St Lawrence River and Great Lakes system, the upper and middle Mississippi River basin in North America from Québec to Saskatchewan in the north down to Missouri and Arkansas, and throughout the eastern U.S. from New York through Kentucky and Tennessee to the northern portions of Alabama and Georgia in the south. While fairly good eating cooked fresh, Rock Bass are generally not regarded by most anglers as a food fish of the quality of bluegill or perch. Fishing with live bait such as nightcrawlers is the most effective to catch rock bass, although they are often caught with lures while fishing for bass.

"A. rupestris", the largest and most common of the "Ambloplites" species, has reached a maximum recorded length of 43 cm (17 in), and a maximum recorded weight of 1.4 kg (3.0 lb). It can live as long as 10 years. These fish have the ability to rapidly change their color to match their surroundings. It is this chameleon-like trait that allows them to thrive throughout their wide range. The rock bass prefers clear, rocky, and vegetated stream pools and lake margins. It is carnivorous, and its diet consists of smaller fish, insects, and crustaceans.

Rock bass can be surprisingly unflustered by the presence of human activity, living under lakeside docks and near swimming areas.

"Ambloplites Constellatus", a species of rock bass from the Ozark upland of Arkansas, and "Ambloplites Ariommus" are true rock bass, but regarded as separate species.

"A. rupestris" is sometimes called the "redeye" or "redeye bass" in Canada, but this name refers more properly to "Micropterus coosae," a distinct species of Centrarchid native to parts of the American South.
Rafinesque originally assigned the rock bass to "Bodianus," a genus of marine wrasses (family Labridae).

References

* FishBase: [http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?genusname=Ambloplites&speciesname=rupestris "Ambloplites rupestris"]
* ITIS: [http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=168097 "Ambloplites rupestris"]
*

*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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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Rock bass — Rock Rock, n. [OF. roke, F. roche; cf. Armor. roc h, and AS. rocc.] 1. A large concreted mass of stony material; a large fixed stone or crag. See {Stone}. [1913 Webster] Come one, come all! this rock shall fly From its firm base as soon as I. Sir …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • rock bass — rock′ bass [[t]bæs[/t]] n. 1) ich a sunfish, Ambloplites rupestris, of the Mississippi basin 2) ich striped bass • Etymology: 1805–15, amer …   From formal English to slang

  • rock bass — ☆ rock bass n. a freshwater game sunfish (Ambloplites rupestris) of E North America …   English World dictionary

  • rock bass — noun 1. game and food fish of upper Mississippi and Great Lakes • Syn: ↑rock sunfish, ↑Ambloplites rupestris • Hypernyms: ↑sunfish, ↑centrarchid • Member Holonyms: ↑Ambloplites, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • rock bass — /ˈrɒk bæs/ (say rok bas) noun (plural rock bass or rock basses) an eastern North American freshwater food fish, Ambloplites rupestris, of the sunfish family, Centrarchidae. Usage: For variation in the plural inflection, see note at fish1 …  

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  • rock bass — /bas/ 1. a game fish, Ambloplites rupestris, of the sunfish family, inhabiting freshwater streams of the eastern U.S. 2. See striped bass. [1805 15, Amer.] * * * …   Universalium

  • rock bass — noun Date: 1811 a brown spotted sunfish (Ambloplites rupestris) found especially in the upper Mississippi River valley and Great Lakes region …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • rock bass — noun a red eyed North American sunfish of rocky streams. [Ambloplites rupestris.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • northern rock bass — raudonakis akmenyninis ešerys statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Ambloplites rupestris angl. northern rock bass; redeye; red eyed bass rus. красноглазый каменный окунь ryšiai: platesnis terminas –… …   Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

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