Panfish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term panfish refers to members of the family Centrarchidae, generally referred to as the sunfish family. These fish were originally named due to their “pan-shaped” body, technically labeled as laterally compressed. Some fisherman and other people have come to refer to panfish as any fish that fits inside of a frying pan.
The most common species of fish to be confused with panfish because of their size is the Yellow Perch. The perch is similarly sized to members of the sunfish family and is therefore often confused with panfish. However, the perch is NOT a panfish.
The perch is a member of the family Percidae, generally referred to as the perch family, and is not pan-shaped (laterally compressed) like the panfish. Instead, perch have an elongated body. Other major differences between panfish and perch are:
• Perch are generally a cold water fish while panfish/sunfish are a warm water fish.
• Perch have two dorsal fins while panfish/sunfish have only one.
• Perch are extremely tasty while panfish/sunfish are only somewhat tasty.
[edit] Some species of panfish
- Bluegill (Lepomis macrochiris)
- Crappie (Poxomis sp.): Some sportsmen claim this is not a true panfish
- Flier (Centrarchus macropterus)
- Green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)
- Porgy or Scup (Stenotomus sp.), a saltwater species
- Redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus)
- Redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus)
- Spotted sunfish (Lepomis punctatus)
- Warmouth (Chaenobryttus gulosus)
- Cutlips minnow (Exoglossum Maxillingua)
