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Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque, 1819

Bluegill
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Lepomis macrochirus
Male picture by Lovshin, L.


Mexico country information

Common names: Mojarra oreja azul
Occurrence: native
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: highly commercial | Ref: Lyons, J., G. González-Hernandéz, E. Soto-Galera and M. Guzmán-Arroyo, 1998
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments:
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Contreras-Balderas, S. and M.A. Escalante-C., 1984
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Centrarchiformes (Basses) > Centrarchidae (Sunfishes)
Etymology: Lepomis: Greek, lepis = scaled + Greek, poma = gill cover, operculum (Ref. 45335, 79012);  macrochirus: macrochirus meaning large hand, probably referring to the body shape (Ref. 10294).
  More on author: Rafinesque.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; benthopelagic; pH range: 7.0 - 7.5; dH range: 10 - 15.   Subtropical; 1°C - 36°C (Ref. 35682); 50°N - 25°N

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

North America: St. Lawrence - Great Lakes and Mississippi river basin; from Quebec to northern Mexico. Widely introduced. Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 41.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5723); common length : 19.1 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193); max. published weight: 2.2 kg (Ref. 4699); max. reported age: 10 years (Ref. 72462)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

A dark blue or black "ear" on an extension of the gill cover called the opercular flap; a prominent dark blotch at the base of the dorsal fin, close to the tail; typically olive-green backs, with a blue or purplish sheen along the sides; faint vertical bars may be present along the sides; breeding males may have more blue and orange coloration on their flanks (Ref. 44091).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Adults are found frequently in lakes, ponds, reservoirs and sluggish streams (Ref. 5723, 10294); occur primarily in reservoirs in Hawaii; preferably live in deep weed beds (Ref. 5723). Active mainly during dusk and dawn. They feed upon snails, small crayfish, insects, worms and small minnows (Ref. 5723). Young feed on crustaceans, insects and worms (Ref. 5723, 10294).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Males guard the eggs for about 7 days (Ref. 93240).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p. (Ref. 5723)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 21 August 2018

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Potential pest




Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial
FAO(Aquaculture systems: production; ; publication : search) | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Home ranges
Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
Spawning aggregations
Egg(s)
Egg developments
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Anatomy
Gill areas
Brains
Otoliths
Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Fish sounds
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
Electrophoreses
Heritabilities
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Collaborators
References
References

Tools

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Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5001   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01413 (0.01200 - 0.01662), b=3.13 (3.09 - 3.17), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.2   ±0.2 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.19-0.23; tmax=11).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Low to moderate vulnerability (33 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Unknown.