Suwannee bass
The Suwannee bass (Micropterus notius) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. One of the black basses, it is native only to the Suwannee and Ochlockonee River drainages in Florida and Georgia. It has been introduced to the Santa Fe, Ichetucknee, St. Marks, Aucilla and Wacissa systems.
| Suwannee bass | |
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| Species: | M. notius |
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| Micropterus notius R. M. Bailey & C. L. Hubbs, 1949 | |
One of the smaller black basses, the Suwannee bass reaches a maximum overall length of only 40 cm (16 in), with a maximum recorded weight of 1.83 kg (almost 4 lb).
It inhabits shallow, rocky streams, springs, and pools.
Relationship with humans
While not as well known as other black basses, M. notius is also fished for sport. The IGFA all tackle world record for the species stands at 1.75kg (3lb 14oz) caught from the Suwannee river in 1985.[2]
References
- NatureServe (2014). "Micropterus notius". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2014: e.T13403A19032574. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T13403A19032574.en. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- "Bass, Suwannee". igfa.org. IGFA. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- Gimenez Dixon (1996). "Micropterus notius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2006. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 9 May 2006.
- FishBase: Micropterus notius
- "Micropterus notius". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/fish/freshwater/suwannee-bass/