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Home/Species/ Everglades Pygmy Sunfish

Elassoma evergladei

Jordan, 1884

Everglades Pygmy Sunfish

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100890
Element CodeAFCQB09010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderCentrarchiformes
FamilyElassomatidae
GenusElassoma
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
MtDNA data indicate that Elassoma is monophyletic; see Quattro et al. (2001b) for information on phylogenetic relationships among the six species in this genus (E. alabamae is widely divergent; E. boehlkei and E. okatie are sister taxa related to the widespread E. evergladei).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2011-11-29
Change Date1996-09-23
Edition Date2011-11-29
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Range Extent Comments
Range includes North American Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain drainages, below the Fall Line, from Cape Fear River, North Carolina, south to northern edge of Everglades in southern Florida, and west to Mobile Bay, 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.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitat includes swamps, heavily vegetated sloughs, and small sluggish streams, usually in quiet well-vegetated waters over mud. Eggs are laid on aquatic vegetation.

Reproduction

Eggs hatch in 65 hours at 25.5 C.
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLAND
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
North CarolinaS3Yes
FloridaS4Yes
South CarolinaS4Yes
GeorgiaS5Yes
AlabamaS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

—

Roadless Areas (2)
Florida (2)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Natural Area WsaOsceola National Forest2,543
References (15)
  1. Boschung, H. T., and R. L. Mayden. 2004. Fishes of Alabama. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 960 pp.
  2. 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.
  3. Jones, W. J., and J. M. Quattro. 1999. Phylogenetic affinities of pygmy sunfishes (ELASSOMA) inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequesnces. Copeia 1999:470-474.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Menhinick, E. F. 1991. The freshwater fishes of North Carolina. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. 227 pp.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. Quattro, J. M., W. J. Jones, J. M. Grady, and F. C. Rohde. 2001b. Gene-gene concordance and the phylogenetic relationships among rare and widespread pygmy sunfishes (genus <i>Elassoma</i>). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 18:217-226.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.