redear sunfish
Lepomis microlophus
Sunfish from ponds and marshes of the southern United States, which eats mollusks. Introduced to Panama and Puerto Rico, where it is exotic.
Also called: peixe-sol-orelha-vermelha, redear, chopa caracojera, mojarra oreja roja
- maximum
- 43 cm
- record/max.
- 0.2 kg
who is the redear sunfish
The redear sunfish is a centrarchid reaching 43 cm. Native to the southern United States, from the Savannah River to the Nueces River in Texas, and from the Mississippi valley to southern Indiana and Illinois, it was introduced to Panama and Puerto Rico, where it is exotic. It lives in ponds, marshes, lakes and vegetated pools, usually over mud or sand, in warm, clear and calm water. It has a preference for mollusks in its diet, so it has already been studied as a means of controlling the snails that carry schistosomiasis. It spawns in ponds, lakes and shallow streams, in well-defined pairs. It is of interest to anglers and is caught on rod and line.
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 redear sunfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Pairs form in a very well-defined way during the breeding season.
identification
Short, deep-bodied fish with the typical shape of sunfish. The common name refers to a red ear, a reference to the edge of the gill cover. To tell it apart from the warmouth and the redbreast sunfish, which were also introduced to Puerto Rico, look at the food and the habitat: this species prefers mollusks and warm, clear, calm waters with vegetation.
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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
Southern United States; introduced to Panama and Puerto Rico, where it is exotic.
Habitat: Ponds, marshes, lakes and pools with vegetation, usually over mud or sand, in warm, clear and calm water.
rules for the redear 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.
The fin spines cut: hold it by the body and release it quickly. Do not release it into another body of water, because it is exotic wherever it was introduced.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0138, b = 3.08; 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 microlophus (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 microlophusNames by country and language.
