Centrarchidae

Taxobox
name = Sunfishes
fossil_range=Middle Miocene to Recent


image_width = 250px
image_caption = Flier ("Centrarchus macropterus")
regnum = Animalia
phylm = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Perciformes
subordo = Percoidei
familia = Centrarchidae
range_

range_map_width = 240px
range_map_caption = Sunfish range
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Acantharchus"
"Ambloplites"
"Archoplites"
"Centrarchus"
"Enneacanthus"
"Lepomis"
"Micropterus"
"Pomoxis"

The sunfishes are a family (Centrarchidae) of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is "Centrarchus" (consisting solely of the flier, "C. macropterus"). The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the black basses, rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, and crappies. All are native only to North America.

Family members are distinguished by having at least three anal spines. The dorsal spines are 5–13 in number, but most species have 10–12. The pseudobranch is small and concealed. Sizes of most are in the 20–30 cm (8–12 in) range, but with the largemouth bass reported to reach almost one metre (just over three feet) in extreme cases.

The male of most species builds a nest by hollowing out a depression using his tail, then guards the eggs.

Most sunfishes are valued for sports fishing, and have been introduced in many areas outside their original ranges, sometimes becoming pests.

The marine sunfishes (family Molidae) are entirely unrelated; for some other fishes known as "sunfish", see Ocean Sunfish.

Fossil record

The earliest fossils of Centrarchidae are from Middle Miocene Nebraska, belonging to the redear sunfish (13.6-16.3 million years ago) [http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=checkTaxonInfo&taxon_no=83690&is_real_user=1] .

Classification

Recent genetic evidence suggests the following phylogeny of the centrarchid genera:cite journal
author=Roe, Kevin J., Phillip M. Harris, and Richard L. Mayden
title=Phylogenetic Relationships of the Genera of North American Sunfishes and Basses (Percoidei: Centrarchidae) as Evidenced by the Mitochondrial Cytochrome "b" Gene
journal=Copeia
year=2002
volume=2002
issue=4
pages=897‒905
url=http://bama.ua.edu/~pharris/lab/pdf%20files/Roe.pdf
format=PDF
doi = 10.1643/0045-8511(2002)002 [0897:PROTGO] 2.0.CO;2]

*family Centrarchidae
** subfamily Centrarchinae
*** tribe Ambloplitini
**** "Ambloplites"
*** tribe Archoplitini
**** "Archoplites"
**** "Pomoxis"
*** tribe Centrarchini
**** "Centrarchus"
*** tribe Enneacanthini
**** "Enneacanthus"
** subfamily Lepominae
*** tribe Lepomini
**** "Lepomis"
** incertae sedis
*** "Micropterus"
*** "Acantharchus"

References

*
*
* [http://www.sonnenbarsche.info German Website about Sunfishes and Basses www.sonnenbarsche.info]