BROWSE BY SPECIES

INTRODUCTION

By Koaw - 2020 (Guide Updated 2024)

Sunfishes within the genus Lepomis are some of the most colorful and beautiful species in our freshwater systems. These fishes offer eyesome attractions for people visiting water habitats and are also popular sport fishes for anglers, novice and experienced alike.

Lepomids, or common sunfishes, are native to North America. Populations exist across the United States, in areas of Canada and even in Mexico’s northern states. Lepomids have also been widely introduced outside their native ranges, not just within North America but also within Europe, Asia and Africa.

Identifying sunfishes can be tricky especially when hybrids and introgressed specimens are involved. All sunfishes within the genus Lepomis are theoretically capable of hybridizing with one another, adding another level of complexity when seeking identifications.

I made this free-to-access guide for people with little-to-no experience identifying fishes as well as people with much experience. This guide is for anglers, naturalists, researchers, wildlife managers and anyone with an interest in sunfishes. It’s in my hopes that this guide will engender admiration for these fascinating species as well as offer support to professionals working to safeguard the health and continuance of these species and all other fishes in our freshwater systems.

Once I undertook this project, it became clear that I would need to physically analyze specimens from each species. I captured, photographed and gathered data on hundreds of specimens from all the thirteen currently recognized species of lepomids in eight different states as well as the District of Columbia. I also analyzed thousands of specimen photos from every single contiguous state in the U.S. as well as regions in Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Europe, and Asia.

This project would not have been possible without the advice, support, and research offered from numerous individuals both directly and indirectly. Many thanks to Fisheries Biologist Bob Jacobs for being a senior advisor on this project, especially for sharing his knowledge on hybrid sunfishes and constantly bringing interesting specimens to my attention on iNaturalist. Please see below for the full list of acknowledgments.

LEARN HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR FISH

Feel free to browse the steps in any order you choose, though the presented order is suggested. Steps 1-2 teach essential information about sunfishes. Steps 3-6 give specific instructions for how to photograph and identify your fish in question.

QUICK REFERENCES

SUPPLEMENTAL CONTENT

THE MOVIE

While creating this guide I also filmed the adventure. If your weather just isn’t permissible for fishing then check out the KNFS original movie! The video is hosted on YouTube on the KN Fishing Smarts channel. (Runtime 56 Minutes)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I began this quixotic pursuit as I do with all my other projects: I get curious, then I do research and finally I make it happen. This project would not have been possible without the help of advisors, photo contributors, other fishers, and financial supporters. I humbly thank the following people:

Special thanks to:

Bluegill crew Koaw Nature.png

  • Bob Jacobs for acting as a senior advisor on this project and supplying decades of wisdom and insight on sunfishes and lepomid hybrids as well as access to numerous photos of specimens to use in the guide.

  • J and Pat McCraken for offering a generous financial donation to aid the project’s demands for catching sunfishes in the Midwest.

  • Mercedes E. for lending me a vehicle to use for ventures not just to North Carolina but into the Midwest and back again.

  • All of the Koaw Nature Patrons from Patreon for supporting this operation with monthly donations; extra thanks to Natalie McIntosh, Sir Biology Geek, dace_88 and 2curious for being the top contributors.

  • My parents for letting me crash at their place during a portion of this work trip (and for just being great parents.)

  • Jim Z. for offering a number of photos of his specimens to use in the guide and for the use of his boat to capture specimens. And also thanks to his wife Denise for letting me crash at their place during this work trip.

  • Sarah Larson for being a sounding board for the initial project ideas as well as offering editing advice on select draft content.

Northern Sunfish 8P8CM NORTHWEST OHIO KOAW NATURE.png

Much thanks to:

  • A fisher by the handle @ncangling on iNaturalist for helping me efficiently locate the species needed in North Carolina.

  • Ray Wilhite for offering expertise and photos on southern populations of many species.

  • John Hartleb for providing great type specimen photos for certain species and insight on area lakes in S. Illinois.

  • A fisher named Jason (@jasonrl) down in Kentucky that helped me grab some bantam sunfish for type specimen photos and for supplying photos of other type specimens..

  • Caesar Villacorta for helping do field work in Virginia to capture certain specimens along the Potomac River.

  • Taylor L. for capturing a few nice specimens that I was able to photograph for this project.

  • Patrick Kerwin for offering photos of specimen observations from a wide variety of species and locations.

  • Nick Zaczek for supplying photos on this project.

  • All the fishers/photographers on iNaturalist who provided quality photos of lepomids that aided this project’s ability to assess population characteristics across North America and beyond.

  • All past and current ichthyologists, fisheries biologists and other researchers who contributed studies and information to the understanding of sunfishes.