Lepomis macrochirus
Rafinesque 1819
Family Centrarchidae
The bluegill is a member of the sunfish family. It has dark bars, thin and chainlike on small individuals, on a light olive to silver-blue, deep and compressed body. There is a large black spot near the posterior end of the dorsal fin base, and there is often a dusky spot near the posterior end of the anal fin base. This species has a small mouth with an upper jaw that does not extend under the pupil of the eye. The pectoral fin is long and pointed. Bluegills can be found in pools of creeks and in small to large rivers, lakes and ponds
Status & distribution
- Status — Native freshwater
- Florida Distribution — Western and North Central and Peninsula drainages
- River Drainages — Perdido River, Escambia River, Blackwater River, Yellow River, Choctawhatchee River, Econfina Creek, Apalachicola River, Ochlockonee River, minor Gulf tributaries, Suwannee River, Withlacoochee River, Tampa Bay, the Myakka or Peace River, Lake Okeechobee, Caloosahatchee River, the Everglades, Indian River, the Tolomato or Matanzas River, St. John’s River and the St. Mary’s River