Home/Species/ Spotted Sunfish

Lepomis punctatus

(Valenciennes, 1831)

Spotted Sunfish

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100708

Element CodeAFCQB11100

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassActinopterygii

OrderCentrarchiformes

FamilyCentrarchidae

GenusLepomis

Concept Reference

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.

Taxonomic Comments

Lepomis miniatus was formerly regarded as a subspecies of Lepomis punctatus. Warren (1992) examined morphological variation and considered biochemical data (e.g., Bermingham and Avise 1986) and hypothesized that punctatus and miniatus are separate species and that upper Coosa system and Lookout Creek (Tennessee drainage) populations are of uncertain taxonomic status. Etnier and Starnes (1993) tentatively allocated the problematic populations to L. punctatus and accepted Warren's recognition of miniatus as a species.

Though the gender of the name Lepomis is feminine (see Bailey and Robins, 1988, Bull. Zool. Nomencl. 45(2):100), the 1991 AFS checklist (Robins et al. 1991) retained the masculine ending for punctatus and other species, pending a vote by the ICZN on a petition (by Etnier and Warren) to treat Lepomis as masculine for nomenclatural purposes.

Conservation Status

Review Date1996-09-23

Change Date1996-09-23

Edition Date2013-05-30

Number of Occurrences81 to >300

Rank Reasons

Ranges from the Carolinas to Florida and Tennessee; generally uncommon in north, more common in south.

Range Extent Comments

Range includes Atlantic and Gulf Slope drainages east of about the Apalachicola River system; eastern North Carolina southward through South Carolina, Georgia, and peninsular Florida (see map in Boschung and Mayden 2004). This species hybridizes with L. miniatus in portions of Georgia, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle.

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

Swamps, sloughs, bottomland lakes, pools of creeks and small to medium rivers, less brackish portions of coastal estuaries; common in quiet or moderately flowing waters with heavy vegetation or other cover and bottom of mud or sand. Eggs are laid in a nest made on the bottom in shallow water near cover by the male.

Reproduction

Spawns from early spring to November in Florida; peak during May-August; male guards eggs; sexually mature at 2 years old or older (Manooch 1984, Lee et al. 1980, Etnier and Starnes 1993).

Palustrine Habitats

FORESTED WETLAND

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Florida	SNR	Yes
North Carolina	S3	Yes
Georgia	S5	Yes
Alabama	S5	Yes
Tennessee	S5	Yes
South Carolina	S5	Yes

Roadless Areas (2)

Florida (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Alexander Springs Creek	Ocala National Forest	2,954
Pinhook	Osceola National Forest	15,405

References (17)

Bermingham, E., and J. C. Avise. 1986. Molecular zoogeography of freshwater fishes in the southeastern United States. Genetics 113:939-965.
Boschung, H. T., and R. L. Mayden. 2004. Fishes of Alabama. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 960 pp.
Etnier, D. A., and W. C. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. xiv + 681 pp.
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.
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.
Manooch, C. S., III. 1984. Fisherman's guide. Fishes of the southeastern United States. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh. 362 pp.
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.
Menhinick, E. F. 1991. The freshwater fishes of North Carolina. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. 227 pp.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Skelton, Christopher E. (Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Natural Heritage Program). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, TNC. March 2000.
Warren, M. L., Jr. 1992. Variation of the spotted sunfish, <i>Lepomis punctatus</i> complex (Centrarchidae): meristics, morphometrics, pigmentation and species limits. Bulletin of the Alabama Museum of Natural History 12:1-47.