Enneacanthus gloriosus
(Holbrook 1855)
Family Centrarchidae
The bluespotted sunfish is a member of the sunfish family. It has a compressed body with rows of bright blue or silver spots along the side, a black teardrop and a rounded caudal fin. There are typically between 16 and 18 scales around the caudal peduncle. Bluespotted sunfish can be found in swamps and vegetated lakes, ponds, pools and backwaters of creeks and small to medium rivers.
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, St. John’s River and the St. Mary’s River