Redeye bass
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| Redeye Bass Conservation status: Secure | ||||||||||||||
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| Micropterus coosae Hubbs & Bailey, 1940 |
The redeye bass (Micropterus coosae) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. One of the black basses, it is native to only a few rivers in western South Carolina, southwestern North Carolina, and portions of Georgia and Alabama, and is uncommon compared to the other species. The waters it is normally found in are cool streams and rivers in the foothills of mountains.
The upper jaw (maxillary) extends to the back of the eye, which is usually red. There are dark bars on the side, which fade to lighter color in the center. Growing to a maximum reported overall length of 47 cm (19 in), the redeye bass is one of the smaller black basses.
Its main food tends to be insects.
The rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris), a distinct species of Centrarchid, is sometimes called the redeye or redeye bass in Canada.
References
- FishBase: Micropterus coosae (http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?genusname=Micropterus&speciesname=coosae)
- ITIS: Micropterus coosae (http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=168163)
- Rohde, F. C., et al. Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994.