Overview
It has a larger mouth and a thicker longer body than most sunfishes of the genus Lepomis, and in this respect more closely resembles the warmouth (L. gulosus) or its larger relatives of the genus Micropterus, such as the smallmouth bass. Most species of sunfish in the genus Lepomis are deep bodied, notably roundish in profile, and extremely compressed laterally. As in other sunfishes the dorsal fins are connected and there is an extended gill cover flat, or “ear lobe”, which is black edged with light red, pink, or yellow. The body is usually brown to olive green with a bronze to emerald green sheen, paling to yellow green on the lower sides and yellow or white on the belly. There are emerald or bluish spots on the head and sometimes, wavy or radiating lines of the same color. Seven to twelve dark bars are vaguely visible on the back. Hybridization with other sunfish species is very common.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Family
- Centrarchidae
- Genus
- Lepomis
- Species
- cyanellus
Habitat
Gravel or rocky bottom sites are usually preferred for nest building.
Diet
Adults feed on insects and small fish.
Behavior
The green sunfish is a very versatile species, able to tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions, and tends to do very well when competition with other sunfish is minimal. Its ability to tolerate environmental extremes makes it ideal for survival in prairie streams where conditions are not stable, and it is often the first sunfish species to repopulate depleted areas. Green sunfish nest in shallow water colonies where nests are often closely packed. Spawning occurs in late spring, when water temperatures rise above 70°F, and may continue throughout the summer. Males aggressively defend their nests for 6-7 days after eggs are deposited, at which time fry are usually free-swimming.
Fishing
Due to their propensity to overpopulate and so become stunted, green sunfish rarely reach a desirable size for angling. This is a panfish with white, flaky flesh. it is taken by angling with worms or other small live baits, flies, spinners, or poppers.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by IUCN.