Species: Micropterus salmoides

Largemouth Bass

Species

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Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

The elongate body is compressed from side to side, the upper jaw extends well beyond the rear edge of the eye in adults, the dorsal fin has two parts that are barely connected (front part is spiny and highest at the middle; rear part has soft rays), and the shortest spine in the dorsal fin is less than half as long as the longest spine. The overall color is silvery to brassy (brown in dark waters), with dark olive mottling; each side has a broad black stripe (continuous or broken into a series of blotches) that extends onto the snout. Maximum length is around 38 inches (97 cm).

Source: Encyclopedia of Life

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Actinopterygii

Order

Perciformes

Family

Centrarchidae

Genus

Micropterus

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101622

Classification

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Fishes - Bony Fishes - Sunfishes and Freshwater Basses

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Actinopterygii - Perciformes - Centrarchidae - Micropterus - Populations from different regions of U.S. are genetically distinct (Phillips et al. 1981).

Ecology and Life History

Source: Encyclopedia of Life

Habitat Type Description

Freshwater

Migration

false - false - false

Non-migrant

false

Locally Migrant

false

Food Comments

Fry feed mainly on zooplankton. Larger young eat insects, crustaceans, and fish fry. Adults eat mainly fishes, though sometimes prefer crayfish or amphibians (Moyle 1976, Smith 1979).

Reproduction Comments

Spawning occurs mainly in spring or early summer after water temperatures have become sufficently warm. Spawning occurs mid-April to mid-June near the southern end of the range in Alabama, late April to early July near the northern range limit in Wisconsin. In Texas, spawning begins as early as February or as late as May, depending on water temperature. Eggs hatch in a few to several days, depending on water temperature. Males guard the eggs and hatchlings until the young bass disperse about a month after hatching. Individuals become sexually mature in 2-5 years, depending on growth rate, which increases with increasing temperature. See Moyle (1976), Becker (1983), and Scott and Crossman (1973).

Ecology Comments

May have small summer range or may wander widely (Moyle 1976). Young have strong schooling tendency (Becker 1983).

Length

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

1996-09-23

Global Status Last Changed

1996-09-23

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

This species is native to the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Hudson Bay (Red River), and Mississippi River basins from southern Quebec to Minnesota and south to Texas, the Gulf Coast, and southern Florida, including Atlantic drainages from North Carolina to Florida and Gulf drainages from southern Florida to northern Mexico (Page and Burr 1991). It has been introduced throughout the United States, southern Canada, and much of world.

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101622