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The spotted sunfish (''Lepomis punctatus'') is a member of the freshwater sunfish family Centrarchidae and order perciformes. The redbreast sunfish, bluegill and red-spotted sunfish are closely related species. ''Lepomis punctatus'' is olive-green to brown in color with black to reddish spots at the base of each scale that form rows of dots on the side. The scientific name punctatus refers to this spotted pattern. It was first described in 1831 by Valenciennes. The spotted sunfish is a warmwater native of the Southeastern United States that inhabits areas of slow moving water. It is a benthic insectivore. Spotted sunfish do not commonly exceed 10 cm and a weight of 3 oz. It has some value as a pan fish and is occasionally caught by bream anglers. Spotted sunfish exhibit similar breeding behavior to other sunfishes. A single male guards a nest with multiple females.〔 It is evaluated by the IUCN as a Least concern species and shows little danger of decline or high sensitivity to habitat changes.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Search for Lepomis punctatus : Spotted Sunfish (Least Concern) )〕 It has been suggested that it could be used as an indicator species, making it valuable to stream management. The spotted sunfish is a habitat generalist, but prefers complex habitats.〔 It has not been established as an invasive species in other parts of the world. Originally ''Lepomis punctatus'' and ''Lepomis miniatus'' were both classified as the same species ''Lepomis punctatus''. Morphological differences and molecular evidence supported a significant difference in the eastern and western species of ''Lepomis punctatus.'' The species was divided into subspecies ''Lepomis punctatus punctatus'' in the east and ''Lepomis punctatus miniatus'' in the west. Later (1992) ''miniatus'' was elevated into its own species.〔Bermingham, E.A., “Molecular Zoogeography of Freshwater Fishes in the Southeastern United States.” JC Genetics 113:4 (1986): 939-65〕〔Warren, M.L. Variation of the spotted sunfish, ''Lepomis punctatus'' complex (Centrarchidae): morphometrics, pigmentation and species limits. Bulletin- Alabama Museum of Natural History. (2008)〕 == Geographic distribution == The spotted sunfish is a subtropical fish of the Southeastern United States found at latitudes of 41°N - 26°N. It is found in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal drainages from the Cape Fear region in North Carolina to the Apalachicola River system in western Florida. The northernmost extent of its range is southern Tennessee. It is a warmwater fish and most abundant below the fall line.〔 In Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia the spotted sunfish has not faced decline, but is vulnerable to decline in North Carolina. Its vulnerability has not been evaluated in South Carolina or Florida, but there is not evidence that it is threatened there. This range is fairly common to other ''Lepomis'', though others have ranges farther northward or westward. No populations have been recorded outside of the native range.〔Dutterer, A.C., Allen, M.S., "Spotted Sunfish Habitat Selection at Three Florida Rivers and Implications for Minimum Flows." Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 137:2 (2008): 454-466. URL http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1577/T07-039.1#preview〕 In older literature the range of the spotted sunfish may include that of the redspotted sunfish, which occurs farther westward into Texas and northward up the Mississippi river.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lepomis punctatus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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