Micropterus nigricans

Based on a phylogenetic analysis, Kim et al. (2022) determined that the name Micropterus salmoides is the valid name for the Florida Bass and that the oldest available name for the widespread Largemouth Bass is Micropterus nigricans; this revised treatment has been accepted by the American Fisheries Society (Page et al. 2023).

Kim et al. (2022) identified three genetic groups within the Largemouth Bass: a southwestern group, ranging from the Rio Grande system in southern Texas and the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin in Coahuila, Mexico to the south to southwestern tributaries of the Mississippi River (e.g., Red and Canadian Rivers in Oklahoma), a north-central group that occurs throughout the Mississippi River Basin and the Laurentian Great Lakes, and a southeastern group that is consistent with the proposed "Delta Bass" that ranges from the southeastern tributaries of the Mississippi River to the Perdido River system in Alabama and Florida. This agrees with Phillips et al. (1981) who noted that populations from different regions of U.S. are genetically distinct.