warmouth
Lepomis gulosus
Sunfish from still, vegetated waters of the central-eastern United States, introduced to Mexico and Puerto Rico. It is caught on rod and line and is farmed commercially.
Also called: peixe-sol-goloso, warmouth, chopa negra, mojarra golosa
- maximum
- 31 cm
- record/max.
- 1.1 kg
who is the warmouth
The warmouth is a centrarchid reaching 31 cm and 1.1 kg. Native to the Great Lakes, the Mississippi basin and rivers of the Atlantic and Gulf in the United States, it was introduced to Mexico and Puerto Rico, where it is exotic. It lives in lakes, ponds, marshes and calm waters of streams, usually over mud and in places with vegetation. It is sought as a sport fish and has commercial use, including in aquaculture. Adults almost always stay over the mud, in calm water.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the warmouth; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Males guard the eggs for 5 to 6 days.
identification
Short, deep-bodied fish, similar in shape to other sunfish. It reaches 31 cm. It usually stays over mud, in calm water and near vegetation. To tell it apart from the redbreast sunfish and other sunfish of the region, look at the habitat: this species prefers ponds and still areas.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Central-eastern United States; introduced to Mexico and Puerto Rico, where it is exotic.
Habitat: Ponds, marshes and calm waters of streams, over mud and in places with vegetation.
rules for the warmouth
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
The fin spines can injure: hold it by the body and release it quickly, without keeping it out of the water for long.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01445, b = 3.12; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Lepomis gulosus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Lepomis gulosusNames by country and language.
