Green sunfish

Taxobox
name = Green Sunfish
status = secure

---

image_width = 250px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Perciformes
familia = Centrarchidae
genus = "Lepomis"
species = "L. cyanellus"
binomial = "Lepomis cyanellus"
binomial_authority = Rafinesque, 1819

The green sunfish ("Lepomis cyanellus") is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (family
Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. It is native to a wide area of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, from the Hudson Bay basin in Canada to the Gulf Coast in the United States and northern Mexico.

The green sunfish reaches a maximum recorded length of about 30 cm (12 in), with a maximum recorded weight of 960 g (2.1 lb).

The species prefers vegetated areas in sluggish backwaters, lakes, and ponds. Its diet can include insects, zooplankton, and other small invertebrates.

A panfish popular with anglers, the green sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists. Green sunfish can be caught with live bait such as nightcrawlers, waxworms, and mealworms. Grocery store baits such as pieces of hot dog or corn kernels can even catch fish. Small lures will also catch green sunfish sometimes.

"L. cyanellus" has been transplanted to many countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe, in some of which it has become established.

The specific epithet, "cyanellus," derives from the Greek "" (blue).

References

* FishBase: [http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?genusname=Lepomis&speciesname=cyanellus "Lepomis cyanellus"]
* ITIS: [http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=168132 "Lepomis cyanellus"]
*

*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

*cite book |last=Malo |first=John |title=Fly-Fishing for Panfish |publisher=Dillon Press Inc. |location=Minneapolis, Minnesota |year=1981 |isbn=0875182089