Longear sunfish

thumb|250px|right|Male longear sunfish

The longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis) is a freshwater fish in the sunfish family, Centrarchidae, of order Centrarchiformes. It is native to the area of eastern North America stretching from the Great Lakes down to northeastern Mexico. The longear sunfish reaches a maximum recorded length of about , with a maximum recorded weight of . Most do not live beyond six years. Lepomis megalotis can be distinguished from closely related dollar sunfish L. marginatus by a greater number of cheek scale rows, by having one to two additional pectoral fin rays and by the slope of the opercular flap, which is distinctly upward in L. marginatus but is closer to horizontal in males of L. megalotis, although female and subadult L. megalotis may have upward slanting opercular flaps. The genus Lepomis has a well-characterized mating behavior where parental care is done by the male. The male makes and defends the nest, and fans the eggs to remove silt and other debris until the larvae hatch. Some longear females produce 4,000 eggs. They spawn in groups but do not form large colonies.

Longear sunfish are better at getting food in moving waters than still waters; this may explain why they are more abundant in streams than lakes. For the most part, longear sunfish are active during the day and inactive at night.

Geographic distribution

Longear sunfish are found in North America, primarily in the Mississippi and Great Lakes regions. Longear sunfish are mostly found in freshwater areas west of the Appalachian Mountains. Some Lepomis populations are located as far north and west as southern Quebec and Minnesota. The species has also been spotted in places as far south and west as central Mexico and New Mexico. Smaller species of longear can be preyed on by larger sunfish populations. Sunfish are an important link in the food chain. They act as both predator and prey within their ecosystems. Other sunfish species and larger predatory fishes compete with the longear for food and resources.

Longear sunfish, like additional members of the family Centrarchidae, are freshwater fish. They prefer streams with a firm clay bottom or gravel with clear waters and they typically stay nearby aquatic vegetation. Male longear sunfish build the nests without assistance from the females. Preferred substrate for nesting is gravel, if available, but they will build in sand or hard mud if necessary. A male longear will guard the nest territory during all phases of reproduction. The clutch size can be anywhere from 140 to 2800 eggs per reproductive cycle. After hatching, it only takes the longear sunfish two to three years to reach sexual maturity. The average life-span of the Lepomis megalotis in the wild is usually four to six years, but there have been cases where individuals have lived up to nine years.

References

Further references

Sezen, Uzay. "Sinister Cannibals or Nurturing Fathers?". Nature Documentaries, 2012.
Mullaney M (2003) "Lepomis megalotis" Animal Diversity Web. Accessed 24 November 2013