longear sunfish
Lepomis megalotis
Small sunfish, native to northeastern Mexico, up to 24 centimeters. It builds nests in colonies on the shore and is caught commercially.
Also called: peixe-sol-orelha-longa, longear sunfish, mojarra gigante
- maximum
- 24 cm
- record/max.
- 0.8 kg
who is the longear sunfish
The longear sunfish is a centrarchid reaching 24 cm and 790 g. Native to northeastern Mexico and, further north, to the Great Lakes, it occurs in shallow waters, almost always in stretches with dense vegetation. It lives in small lakes, ponds, and rivers and streams with weak current. It eats small aquatic invertebrates, insects and, sometimes, small fish. Breeding takes place in colonies of nests side by side near the shore, where males dig and defend territory. It is caught commercially and appears in public aquariums; it is not a target of sport fishing.
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 longear sunfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Males dig the nests and defend the territory, and females return to the same nest to spawn or go to another one.
identification
Short, deep-bodied fish with the typical shape of sunfish. The common name refers to a long ear, a reference to the extended gill cover. It almost always lives in shallow water, among dense vegetation, in small lakes and streams with weak current. To tell it apart from other sunfish in the region, look at the habitat and the shoreline nest colonies, which are typical of the species.
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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
Northeastern Mexico and, further north, to the Great Lakes region, in the United States.
Habitat: Shallow waters with dense vegetation, in small lakes, ponds and streams with weak current.
rules for the longear sunfish
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.
Small species of little sport value: 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 = 0.0138, b = 3.11; 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 megalotis (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 megalotisNames by country and language.
