Elassoma is a genus of freshwater fish, the only member of subfamily Elassomatinae of the sunfish family Centrarchidae in the order Perciformes.[1] It is sometimes classified as a separate family, the Elassomatidae, in a monotypic suborder, Elassomatoidei, in Perciformes. The type species is E. zonatum, the banded pygmy sunfish. The Elassomatinae are known collectively as pygmy sunfishes, but are considered by some authorities not to be true sunfishes, which are members of family Centrarchidae. Some researchers believe they are related to sticklebacks and pipefishes (order Syngnathiformes) rather than Perciformes, though genetic research strongly implies a close relationship with the centrarchids.[2] Currently the Integrated Taxonomic Information System classifies them in the family Elassomatidae rather than Centrarchidae. [3]
The pygmy sunfishes grow to a maximum overall length of 3 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 in). They occur mostly in temperate and subtropical swamps, marshes, and other shallow, slow-moving, and heavily vegetated waters, across an area of the American South stretching from the Coastal Plain of North Carolina to central Florida, west along the Gulf Coast to eastern Texas, and north up the Mississippi River Valley to southern Illinois. The bluebarred, Carolina, and spring pygmy sunfishes have small localized populations and are considered Vulnerable.
The pygmy sunfishes are too small to be game fish, but are relatively popular as aquarium fish because of the males' iridescent colors and fascinating breeding behaviors. Eggs are laid on or beneath dense vegetation, and the male guards the nest area until the fry hatch and scatter. They adapt well to small aquaria and are relatively adaptable to a range of conditions, but seldom take conventional prepared fish foods, instead requiring small live worms, insects, or crustaceans as food.
^J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. pp. 444–446. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6.
^Jörg Bohlen; Arne Nolte. "Elassoma zonatum, E. okefenokee, and E. evergladei: Habitats and Comparative Observations" (PDF). Nanfa.org. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
banded pygmysunfish. The Elassomatinae are known collectively as pygmysunfishes, but are considered by some authorities not to be true sunfishes, which...
The banded pygmysunfish, Elassoma zonatum, is a species of pygmysunfish endemic to the United States, where it is found from Indiana and Illinois to...
The Gulf Coast pygmysunfish, Elassoma gilberti, is a species of pygmysunfish endemic to Florida, United States. This species can reach 2.5 centimetres...
The Carolina pygmysunfish, Elassoma boehlkei, is a species of pygmysunfish endemic to the United States, where it is only known from the Waccamaw and...
The Okefenokee pygmysunfish, Elassoma okefenokee, is a species of pygmysunfish found in southeastern United States, where it prefers waters with dense...
The bluebarred pygmysunfish, Elassoma okatie, is a species of pygmysunfish endemic to South Carolina, United States, where it prefers waters with dense...
Elassoma evergladei, or the Everglades pygmysunfish, is a species of fish from the genus Elassoma (the pygmysunfishes) that is endemic to North America....
(rock basses), and Acantharchus (mud sunfish). A genetic study in 2012 suggests that the highly distinct pygmysunfishes of the genus Elassoma are also centrarchids...
Leporinus fasciatus Y Y Banded pygmysunfish Elassoma zonatum Y Y Banded rudderfish Seriola zonata Y Y Banded sunfish Enneacanthus obesus Y Y Banded tilapia...
wetlands provide habitat for diverse species, including the Carolina pygmysunfish and the American black bear. "Extensive forest communities cover the...
corydoras Chinese high fin banded shark Three-spined stickleback Ticto barb Pygmysunfish Enneacanthus Texas cichlid Paradise fish Green barb Zebra danio Bengal...
Eviota sigillata, commonly called seven-figure pygmy goby or adorned dwarfgoby, is a species of marine fish in the family Gobiidae. They are widespread...
orange-colored males. Bluegill sunfish males have two distinct patterns of reproduction and survival: parental and cuckolder. Parental sunfish often show dominant...
snake is the eastern milk snake. American badger American mink American pygmy shrew Big brown bat Bobcat Cinereus shrew Cotton mouse Coyote Cougar American...
the Philippines. One of the heaviest bony fish in the world, the ocean sunfish (Mola mola), can also be found in the country. The Philippines has about...
immobilizing the turtle. The heaviest species of bony fish, the oceanic sunfish (Mola mola), has been found in great white shark stomachs. Whale carcasses...
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