SPRINGS FIELD GUIDE
Spotted Sunfish
FISH PROFILE
COMMON NAME
Spotted Sunfish
Scientific name
Lepomis punctatus
FAMILY
Centrarchidae
LENGTH
3.5 to 8 inches
DIET
Largely insectivores, they feed on small insects and insect larvae.
FISH PROFILE
COMMON NAME
Spotted Sunfish
Scientific name
Lepomis punctatus
FAMILY
Centrarchidae
LENGTH
3.5 to 8 inches
DIET
Largely insectivores, they feed on small insects and insect larvae.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
Also known as “stumpknockers,” spotted sunfish are in the family Centrarchidae (the sunfish family). Spotted sunfish are olive-green to brown in color and are covered with small freckle-like spots at the base of each scale. They can reach up to 8 inches but most are 3-5 inches in length. To the underwater observer, a particularly distinctive characteristic that easily differentiates them from other sunfish is a blue iridescence that lines the area under the eye.
RANGE, HABITAT, BEHAVIOR, AND dIET
Spotted sunfish can be found from Florida to North Carolina to Texas and up the Mississippi River as far as Illinois. Similar to other sunfish, a single male builds a nest by fanning a circular “nest”, attracts multiple females, and guards the nest until the young swim away. Spotted sunfish are largely insectivores, feeding on small insects and insect larvae.
IDENTIFYING VARIOUS SPECIES in THE sunfish FAMILY
While there are other sunfish species that can be found in Florida’s springs, the four that are the most common and the best for a beginning fish-watcher to start with are Bluegill, Spotted Sunfish, Redear Sunfish, and Redbreast Sunfish.
Bluegill sunfish: Look for that spot at the rear base of the dorsal fin.
Spotted sunfish: Look for the iridescent blue under the eyes.
Redbreast sunfish: Look for the long ear flap.
Redear sunfish: Look for the red spot on the ear. That spot is not always visible so if your sunfish lacks any of the characteristics of the other three species, it might be a redear!
FUN FACTS
Spotted sunfish are also known as “stumpknockers,” as they are often found hiding around submerged logs.
Dr. Howard T. Odum, the “father of springs ecology,” noted in 1957 that the spotted sunfish was the most abundant sunfish in Silver Springs during his study. Other biological surveys have found these fish to be the most commonly found sunfish in the panhandle rivers and streams.