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Micropterus punctulatus

(Rafinesque, 1819)

Spotted Bass

G5Secure Found in 7 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.872252
Element CodeAFCQB12040
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderCentrarchiformes
FamilyCentrarchidae
GenusMicropterus
Concept Reference
Baker, W. H., C. E. Johnston, and G. W. Folkerts. 2008. The Alabama bass, Micropterus henshalli (Teleostei: Centrachidae), from the Mobile River basin. Zootaxa 1861:57-67.
Taxonomic Comments
Included in the Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus) species complex (Kim et al. 2022). Micropterus henshalli of the Mobile River basin formerly was included in M. punctulatus; Baker et al. (2008) recognized henshalli as a distinct species.

This species has hybridized with smallmouth bass in Missouri (Koppleman 1994). Nominal subspecies wichitae is an invalid taxon (= M. punctulatus, or M. punctulatus X M. dolomieu) (Cofer 1995). See Coughlin et al. (2003) for information on the genetic makeup of populations in the Red and Arkansas river basins (including further indication that wichitae does not warrant recognition as a distinct taxon).
Conservation Status
Review Date1996-09-23
Change Date1996-09-23
Range Extent Comments
Native throughout central and lower Mississippi River basin from southern Ohio and West Virginia to southeastern Kansas and south to the Gulf; Gulf drainages from Chattahoochee River (where possibly introduced), Georgia, to Guadalupe River, Texas; introduced on Atlantic Slope in Virginia and North Carolina, in lower Pecos River, New Mexico, and Consummes and Feather rivers, California (Page and Burr 1991).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of subpopulations and locations.
Threat Impact Comments
Localized threats may exist, but on a range-wide scale no major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Small clear creeks with moderate to swift current and gravel to coarse sand substrate; moderate size, clear, low gradient sections of rivers with gravel substrate; and reservoirs (especially large deep oligotrophic ones). Secretive pool dweller in streams; in reservoirs adults mostly in deeper water, young near shore. After leaving nest, juveniles usually in schools in backwater or cove areas near cover (Sublette et al. 1990). Eggs are laid in a nest made by the male on bottoms ranging from mud to gravel in low-current areas (Moyle 1976), at depths averaging 1.5-6.7 m in reservoirs, 33-73 cm in streams.

Ecology

Adults may stay in single stream pool for most of year (Moyle 1976). Juveniles swim in schools that disperse when fishes are about 30 mm long.

Reproduction

Spawns in late spring; eggs hatch in about 5 days at 14-16 C; sexually mature in 2nd or 3rd year; male guards eggs and hatchlings (Moyle 1976).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
West VirginiaS5Yes
GeorgiaS4Yes
LouisianaS5Yes
OhioS4Yes
MissouriSNRYes
IllinoisS3Yes
PennsylvaniaS4Yes
North CarolinaS2Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
MississippiS5Yes
FloridaSNRYes
IowaSNANo
TennesseeS5Yes
NevadaSNANo
OklahomaSNRYes
CaliforniaSNANo
VirginiaS4Yes
TexasS5Yes
IndianaS5Yes
ArizonaSNANo
NebraskaSNANo
New MexicoSNANo
KansasS5Yes
ArkansasS4Yes
AlabamaS5Yes
Roadless Areas (7)
Arkansas (4)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainOuachita National Forest9,755
East ForkOzark-St. Francis National Forest13,037
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
PenhookOzark-St. Francis National Forest6,566
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
Mississippi (1)
AreaForestAcres
Sandy Creek Rare Ii AreaHomochitto National Forest2,620
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Winters BayouNational Forests in Texas730
References (36)
  1. Baker, W. H., C. E. Johnston, and G. W. Folkerts. 2008. The Alabama bass, <i>Micropterus henshalli</i> (Teleostei: Centrachidae), from the Mobile River basin. Zootaxa 1861:57-67.
  2. Buchanan, Thomas M. (Department of Biology. Westark College AR). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, TNC. March 2000.
  3. Burr, B. M., and M. L. Warren, Jr. 1986a. Distributional atlas of Kentucky fishes. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Scientific and Technical Series No. 4, Frankfort, Kentucky. 398 pp.
  4. Cofer, L. M. 1995. Invalidation of the Wichita spotted bass, <i>Micropterus punctulatus wichitae</i>, subspecies theory. Copeia 1995:487-490.
  5. Cooper, E. L. 1983. Fishes of Pennsylvania and the northeastern United States. Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park. 243 pp.
  6. Coughlin, W. D., A. A. Echelle, R. A. Van Den Bussche, L. M. Cofer, W. L. Fisher, and D. L. Propst. 2003. Genetic structure of spotted bass (<i>Micropterus punctulatus</i>) in the Red and Arkansas river basins: microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA variation. Southwestern Naturalist 48(4):526-533.
  7. Cross, F. B., and J. T. Collins. 1995. Fishes in Kansas. Second Edition, revised. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History. xvii + 315 pp.
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  9. Etnier, D. A., and W. C. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. xiv + 681 pp.
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  13. Kim, D., A. T. Taylor, and T. J. Near. 2022. Phylogenomics and species delimitation of the economically important Black Basses (<i>Micropterus</i>). Scientific Reports 12, 9113. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-11743-2
  14. Koppelman, J. B. 1994. Hybridization between Smallmouth Bass, <i>Micropterus dolomieu</i>, and Spotted Bass, <i>M. punctulatus</i>, in the Missouri river system, Missouri. Copeia 1994(1):204-210.
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  17. Matthews, William J. (Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. June 2000.
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