Green Sunfish Color Plate
Green Sunfish
Lepomis cyanellus
(Centrarchidae)
Global Rank:
G5
State Rank:
SNA
Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
none
BLM:
none
General Description
The green sunfish is another marginal introduction found scattered in the lower Yellowstone and Little Missouri river drainages of southeastern Montana. They are hardy little fish, tolerating a wide range of temperature, turbidity, and oxygen levels in slow-moving streams, ponds, or lakes. Green sunfish in Montana seldom exceed 5 inches in length although they are readily caught on a variety of baits. The food of this species, as with the other sunfishes, is primarily insects, crustaceans, and small fishes.
Diagnostic Characteristics
Body robust. Gill rakers long and slender. Breeding males have light-colored fringe on dorsal, anal, and tail fins.
Habitat
Slow-moving streams at lower elevations and shallows of lakes. Tolerates turbid water, high temperatures and low dissolved oxygen.
Food Habits
Aquatic insects, small crustaceans and fishes, and small amounts of plant material.
Ecology
Well suited to radically changing conditions found in prarie streams.
Reproductive Characteristics
Sexually mature at end of 2nd growing season. Spawns May - midsummer in shallow areas with clean bottom at 60 degrees F.
Citations & Sources
- Holton, G. D. 2003. A field guide to Montana fishes. Mont. Dept. Fish, Wildl. Parks, 95 pp.
- NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. 2002. Version 1.6 . Arlington, Virginia, USA: NatureServe. Available: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: March 20, 2003 ).
