Lepomis
| Lepomis Temporal range: Middle Miocene to Recent |
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| 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 | |
| Lepomis auritus Linnaeus, 1758 |
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| Species | |
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16, see text. |
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Lepomis is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (family Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. The most recognizable species of the sixteen in this genus is the Bluegill.
Some lepomis species can grow to a maximum overall length of 41 centimetres (16 in), though most species average around 10–20 centimetres (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.) 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 Cypriniformes of genus Abramis.
The generic name Lepomis derives from the Greek λεπίς (scale) and πώμα (cover, plug, operculum).
[edit] Fossil record
The redear sunfish is the first-known species of Centrarchidae based on fossil records, as old as 16.3 million years, dating back to the Middle Miocene[1].
[edit] Species
- L. auritus - redbreast sunfish
- L. cyanellus - green sunfish
- L. gibbosus - pumpkinseed
- L. gulosus - warmouth
- L. humilis - orangespotted sunfish
- L. macrochirus - bluegill
- L. macrochirus purpurescens - Florida bluegill
- L. macrochirus spp - Handpaint bluegill
- L. marginatus - dollar sunfish
- L. megalotis peltastes - northern longear sunfish
- L. megalotis megalotis - central longear sunfish
- L. megalotis spp - Ox-bow longear sunfish
- L. microlophus - redear sunfish
- L. miniatus - redspotted sunfish
- L. punctatus - spotted sunfish
- L. symmetricus - bantam sunfish
L. gulosus, the warmouth, was formerly Chaenobryttus gulosus, the only species of that genus. ITIS still uses the old classification.
