Red breast sunfish
| Red breast sunfish | ||||||||||||
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Red breast sunfish |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lepomis auritus | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The red breast sunfish ( Lepomis auritus ), also known as the big-eared sunfish , is a fish from the sunfish family (Centrarchidae). The name large-eared sunfish is used for this species ( Lepomis auritus ), but primarily for Lepomis megelotis .
features
The red breast sunfish has a stocky, high and laterally flattened body. The rather long and narrow extension of the gill cover is black and has no other colored edge. The body color is characteristic, but more pronounced in male young animals that have reached sexual maturity than in older animals or females. These animals are olive-brown to brown-violet on the back, greenish and gray on the side, then the color changes into a yellow-green color mixture. The throat, the underside of the abdomen and the pectoral fins are intensely orange-red in color. Light blue wavy lines and polka dots can be found below the eyes. The dorsal fin of the animals is divided into two different parts and the caudal fin is slightly notched in the middle. The fish are between 12 and 15 centimeters in size and weigh around 700 grams.
Way of life
This species feeds primarily on invertebrates, other fish and above all on insect larvae. But also of adult insects such as mayflies or dragonflies. It can be found in fresh water, in stony and sandy areas of small to medium-sized rivers and on the edge of lakes. The fish spawning season is from June to July. The female lays about 1000 eggs in a shallow hollow in a sandy and / or fine gravel surface. Well-fed females can lay up to 2000 eggs, this happens in a shallow part of the body of water. Then the female leaves the hollow with the eggs and retreats into deeper waters. As with all other sunfish species, the male also takes care of the brood. It guards the eggs and the newly hatched fish larvae. The fish reach sexual maturity in the second year of life.
distribution
Its natural range includes the eastern United States , from Maine to Virginia . However, it has also been introduced in parts of Italy .
Aquaristics
The red breast sunfish is popular among aquarists and can be kept in a cold water aquarium or garden pond . He needs clear and clean water, preferably with a light flow, so you should have a filter system and a circulation pump or a feed pump. In addition, the fish needs water values that are as constant as possible, whereby the pH value should be in the range between 7 and 7.5. Since this sun bass feeds on small fish, among other things, it should not be kept together with other smaller fish species. Furthermore, you should overwinter the fish in a cold water aquarium and protect it from frost.
Web links
- Lepomis auritus on Fishbase.org (English)
literature
- Peter Maitland, Keith Linsell: Freshwater fish: All species of Europe drawn ; Franckh Kosmos Verlag; 1: Edition (June 1, 2007), Frankfurt, ISBN 978-3-440-10962-5 , p. 233.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Peter Maitland, Keith Linsell: Freshwater fish: All species of Europe drawn ; Franckh Kosmos Verlag; 1: Edition (June 1, 2007), Frankfurt, ISBN 978-3-440-10962-5 , p. 233.
- ↑ a b Lepomis auritus on Fishbase.org (English)
- ↑ a b c d e f garden pond guide: The red breast sunfish - Lepomis auritus. Heiko Fröhlich, accessed on July 10, 2017 .
- ↑ Fischlexikon.eu: Fish dictionary of freshwater fish: red breast sunfish (Lepomis auritus). WESO Software GmbH, accessed on July 10, 2017 .