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Micropterus salmoides (Lacepède, 1802)
Largemouth black bass
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Micropterus salmoides
Picture by Scarola, J.F.
Pictures | Videos | Stamps, coins, misc. | Google image
Picture by Scarola, J.F.
Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) > Centrarchiformes (Basses) > Centrarchidae (Sunfishes)
Etymology: Micropterus: Greek, mikros = small + Greek,pteron = wing, fin (Ref. 45335); salmoides: salmoides meaning trout-like (Ref. 1998).
More on author: Lacepède.
Etymology: Micropterus: Greek, mikros = small + Greek,pteron = wing, fin (Ref. 45335); salmoides: salmoides meaning trout-like (Ref. 1998).
More on author: Lacepède.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic; pH range: 7.0 - 7.5; dH range: 10 - ?; depth range 0 - 6 m (Ref. 1998). Subtropical; 10°C - 32°C (Ref. 12741); 46°N - 24°N, 125°W - 65°W (Ref. 89798)
Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri
North America: St. Lawrence - Great Lakes, and Mississippi River basins from southern Quebec to Minnesota and south to Gulf; Atlantic and Gulf drainages from North Carolina to Florida and to northern Mexico. The species has been introduced widely as a game fish and is now cosmopolitan. Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 97.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 86798); common length : 40.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 556); max. published weight: 10.1 kg (Ref. 4699); max. reported age: 23 years (Ref. 46974)
Max length : 97.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 86798); common length : 40.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 556); max. published weight: 10.1 kg (Ref. 4699); max. reported age: 23 years (Ref. 46974)
Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 14; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 10 - 12; Vertebrae: 30 - 32.
Inhabit lakes, ponds, swamps, and backwaters and pools of creeks, and small to large rivers (Ref. 86798). Usually found over mud or sand and common in impoundments (Ref. 5723). They prefer quiet, clear water and over-grown banks. Adults feed on fishes, crayfish and frogs; young feed on crustaceans, insects and small fishes. Sometimes cannibalistic. They don't feed during spawning; as well as when the water temperature is below 5°C and above 37°C (Ref. 30578). Builds nest at 25 mm-203 mm deep (Ref. 1998). An introduced species in Europe reported to avoid fast-flowing waters and to occur in estuaries with a salinity up to 13 ppt (Ref. 59043). Popular game fish in North America. Preyed upon by herons, bitterns, and kingfishers (Ref. 1998). Excellent food fish (Ref. 1998).
Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
The male which becomes aggressive and territorial builds the nest on muddy bottoms of shallow water. A female may spawn with several males on different nests. The male guards and fans the eggs for about 29 days (Ref. 93240). Spawning takes place spring to summer or when temperature reaches 15°C. Adults mate between the age of 5-12 years (Ref. 11243). Also Ref, 88808).
Main reference
Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 2011. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 663p. (Ref. 86798)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 14 November 2018
CITES
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Potential pest
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
FAO - Aquaculture systems: production; Fisheries: landings; Publication: search | FishSource |
More information
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Tools
Bio-Quiz | E-book | Field guide | Identification keys | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Classification Tree
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Special reports
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Internet sources
AFORO (otoliths) | Alien/Invasive Species database | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | DORIS | ECOTOX | FAO - Aquaculture systems: production; Fisheries: landings; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | GoMexSI (interaction data) | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record
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=0.01047 (0.00903 - 0.01214), b=3.08 (3.04 - 3.12), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.8 ±0.4 se; based on diet studies.
Generation time: 5.2 (4.6 - 6.1) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 41 growth studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.06-0.14; tm=3-5; tmax=16; Fec=2,000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Moderate vulnerability (42 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref. 124155): Calcium = 37.3 [15.6, 73.2] mg/100g; Iron = 0.919 [0.527, 1.527] mg/100g; Protein = 19.3 [17.2, 21.3] %; Omega3 = 0.481 [0.197, 1.182] g/100g; Selenium = 28.9 [11.5, 68.9] μg/100g; VitaminA = 19.5 [6.5, 59.1] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.852 [0.603, 1.246] mg/100g (wet weight);