Micropterus

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Micropterus
Smallmouth bass (M. dolomieu)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Centrarchidae
Genus: Micropterus[1]
Lacepede, 1802
Type species
Micropterus dolomieu
Lacepède, 1802

Micropterus is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (family Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. The species of this genus are known as the black basses.

The black basses are sometimes erroneously called black trout, but the name trout more correctly refers to certain members of the salmon family.

The black basses are distributed throughout a large area east of the Rocky Mountains in North America, from the Hudson Bay basin in Canada to northeastern Mexico. Several species, notably the Largemouth and Smallmouth basses, have been very widely introduced throughout the world, and are now considered cosmopolitan. Black bass of all species are highly sought-after game fish, and bass fishing is an extremely popular sport throughout the bass's native range.[citation needed] These fish are well known as strong fighters, and their meat is eaten, being quite edible and firm.

All Micropterus species have a dull-green base colouring with dark patterns on the sides. Most reach a maximum overall length of 40–60 cm (16–24 in), but some strains of the largemouth bass have been reported to grow to almost a full meter (just over three feet) in length.[2]

The male builds a "bed" (nest) in which a female is induced to deposit her eggs and then fertilizes them. The male continues to guard the eggs and fry until they disperse from the nest.

In Japan, to which the black basses are not native, frequent attempts have been made to eradicate various species of the fish.

Species

The currently recognized species in this genus are:[3][4]

  • Micropterus cahabae W. H. Baker, Blanton & C. E. Johnston, 2013[4]
  • Micropterus cataractae J. D. Williams & G. H. Burgess, 1999 (shoal bass)
  • Micropterus chattahoochae W. H. Baker, Blanton & C. E. Johnston, 2013[4]
  • Micropterus coosae C. L. Hubbs & R. M. Bailey, 1940 (redeye bass)
  • Micropterus dolomieu Lacépède, 1802 (smallmouth bass)
  • Micropterus henshalli C. L. Hubbs & R. M. Bailey, 1940 (Alabama bass)
  • Micropterus notius R. M. Bailey & C. L. Hubbs, 1949 (Suwannee bass)
  • Micropterus punctulatus (Rafinesque, 1819) (spotted bass)
  • Micropterus salmoides (Lacépède, 1802) (largemouth black bass)
  • Micropterus tallapoosae W. H. Baker, Blanton & C. E. Johnston, 2013[4]
  • Micropterus treculii (Vaillant & Bocourt, 1874) (Guadalupe bass)
  • Micropterus warriorensis W. H. Baker, Blanton & C. E. Johnston, 2013[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ ITIS: Micropterus
  2. ↑ Rohde, F. C., et al. Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994.
  3. ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2013). Species of Micropterus in FishBase. February 2013 version.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Baker, W.H., Blanton, R.E. & Johnston, C.E. (2013): Diversity within the Redeye Bass, Micropterus coosae (Perciformes: Centrarchidae) species group, with descriptions of four new species. Zootaxa, 3635 (4): 379–401.
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