Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Banded Sunfish

Enneacanthus obesus

(Girard, 1854)

Banded Sunfish

G5Secure Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106356
Element CodeAFCQB10030
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderCentrarchiformes
FamilyCentrarchidae
GenusEnneacanthus
Concept Reference
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Current data indicate that E. gloriosus and E. obesus are not monophyletic taxa and appear to demonstrate either incomplete lineage sorting or a polyphyletic E. obesus; further study is warranted (Darden 2008).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-10-05
Change Date1996-09-23
Edition Date2025-10-05
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G. (2011); rev. R. L. Gundy (2025)
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
This species is widespread across river drainages in the eastern U.S. No major rangewide declines or threats have been reported.
Range Extent Comments
This species is widespread in river drainages of the eastern United States. The range includes the Atlantic and Gulf slope drainages from New Hampshire south to central Florida, west to the Perdido drainage in Alabama (Page and Burr 2011).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known. In Massachusetts, this species is still common but has declined with urban sprawl when small, swampy wetlands were drained (Hartel et al. 2002).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occurs over sand or mud in sluggish, acidic, heavily vegetated waters, including ponds, pools and backwaters of creeks, small to large rivers, and boggy brooks (Lee et al. 1980, Page and Burr 2011). Eggs presumably are laid in nests made by males.
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
Rhode IslandS3Yes
MassachusettsS4Yes
MaineSNRYes
DelawareS2Yes
AlabamaS1Yes
New HampshireS3Yes
New JerseyS4Yes
PennsylvaniaSXYes
VirginiaS3Yes
New YorkS1Yes
FloridaS4Yes
North CarolinaS3Yes
GeorgiaS4Yes
South CarolinaS3Yes
MarylandS3Yes
ConnecticutS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
7 - Natural system modificationsUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
7.2 - Dams & water management/useUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (4)
Florida (2)
AreaForestAcres
Natural Area WsaOsceola National Forest2,543
PinhookOsceola National Forest15,405
North Carolina (2)
AreaForestAcres
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
Sheep Ridge AdditionCroatan National Forest5,808
References (22)
  1. Boschung, H. T., and R. L. Mayden. 2004. Fishes of Alabama. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 960 pp.
  2. Breder, C.M., Jr. and A.C. Redmond. 1929. The bluespotted sunfish: a contribution to the life history and habits of <i>Enneacanthus</i> with notes on other Lepominae. Zoologica 9(10): 379-401.
  3. Cooper, E. L. 1983. Fishes of Pennsylvania and the northeastern United States. Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park. 243 pp.
  4. Darden, T. L. 2008. Phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeography within the <i>Enneacanthus </i>sunfishes (Perciformes: Centrarchidae). Copeia 2008:630-636.
  5. Hartel, Karsten E. (Dept. of Ichthyology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2000.
  6. Hartel, K. E., D. B. Halliwell, and A. E. Launer. 2002. Inland fishes of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Audubon Society, Lincoln, Massachusetts. xiii + 328 pp.
  7. Hoehn, Theodore S. and D. Gray Bass (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)). 2000a. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, TNC. March 2000.
  8. Jenkins, R. E., and N. M. Burkhead. 1994. Freshwater fishes of Virginia. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland. xxiii + 1079 pp.
  9. Krueger, William (Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. February and March 2000.
  10. Lee, D. S., C. R. Gilbert, C. H. Hocutt, R. E. Jenkins, D. E. McAllister, and J. R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina. i-x + 854 pp.
  11. Marcy, B. C., Jr., D. E. Fletcher, F. D. Martin, M. H. Paller, and M.J.M. Reichert. 2005. Fishes of the middle Savannah River basin. University of Georgia Press, Athens. xiv + 460 pp.
  12. Menhinick, E. F. 1991. The freshwater fishes of North Carolina. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. 227 pp.
  13. Mettee, M. F., P. E. O'Neil, and J. M. Pierson. 1996. Fishes of Alabama and the Mobile Basin. Oxmoor House, Birmingham, Alabama. 820 pp.
  14. Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp.
  15. Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes: North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 432 pp.
  16. Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 2011. Peterson field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. xix + 663 pp.
  17. Page, L. M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, R. L. Mayden, and J. S. Nelson. 2013. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventh edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 34, Bethesda, Maryland.
  18. Page, L. M., K. E. Bemis, T. E. Dowling, H.S. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, K. E. Hartel, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, M. A. Neigbors, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, and H. J. Walker, Jr. 2023. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighth edition. American Fisheries Society (AFS), Special Publication 37, Bethesda, Maryland, 439 pp.
  19. Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
  20. Rohde, Fritz (Icthyologist, North Carolina Division of Marine Fishes). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI.
  21. Smith, C. L. 1985. The inland fishes of New York State. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Albany, New York, xi + 522 pp.
  22. Whittier, Thomas R. 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2000.