Pumpkinseed?

[Seth Clarkson]

I'm not sure what the actual name for this fish is but I've heard them called pumpkinseed. They are all pretty, some even more so than others. This is definitely not a professional caliber photo by any means being taken through a waterproof case but I just thought you all might enjoy this little guy. I caught him on Niangua Saturday with a yellow rooster tail. 

[Johnsfolly]

9 minutes ago, Seth Clarkson said:

I'm not sure what the actual name for this fish is but I've heard them called pumpkinseed. They are all pretty, some even more so than others. This is definitely not a professional caliber photo by any means being taken through a waterproof case but I just thought you all might enjoy this little guy. I caught him on Niangua Saturday with a yellow rooster tail. 

Seth that is a longear sunfish, which are pretty common in the Ozarks. The key is the long blue flap on the gill cover, which gives the fish it's namesake. They are one of the most colorful sunfish.

True pumpkinseed sunfish have a small flap and a red edge and the blue-green facial striping like this one my daughter caught here in Maryland.

Redear have been stocked in a lot of Missouri waters. they also have the red edge, but not the blue-green facial striping of the pumpkinseed. Also redear have larger mouths.

Probably far more than you wanted to know .

[Seth Clarkson]

8 minutes ago, Johnsfolly said:

Seth that is a longear sunfish, which are pretty common in the Ozarks. The key is the long blue flap on the gill cover, which gives the fish it's namesake. They are one of the most colorful sunfish.

True pumpkinseed sunfish have a small flap and a red edge and the blue-green facial striping like this one my daughter caught here in Maryland.

Redear have been stocked in a lot of Missouri waters. they also have the red edge, but not the blue-green facial striping of the pumpkinseed. Also redear have larger mouths.

Probably far more than you wanted to know .

Are there wide ranges of coloration for the longear sunfish? I may just be confusing males or females with a different species. Same thing for green sunfish? I feel like I can identify those easily, but maybe only the male or female. 

 

Regardless of what they are, I like their looks!

[Flysmallie]

Longear!! 

Used to have a few in my office aquarium and hope to have a few more winter there this year.

[Seth Clarkson]

Is this also a long ear, just a male? This is what I always thought was a long ear. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

Excuse me boys, those are all bluegill.

[Seth Clarkson]

Just now, snagged in outlet 3 said:

Excuse me boys, those are all bluegill.

Growing up and still majority of the time they are all perch in my family lol

[Johnsfolly]

Yes they can be quite variable in coloration. Males will be more colorful than females. All have the blue-green striping on their face.

There is another similarly colored species in Missouri found in the Black River and St Francis river which is the dollar sunfish. Not very common (at least I haven't found a bunch yet) and not likely to find that one outside of that area. It would have spotting that continues up the gill flap. Also sunfish do have a tendency to hybridize between species.

[Johnsfolly]

47 minutes ago, Seth Clarkson said:

Is this also a long ear, just a male? This is what I always thought was a long ear. 

That is a bluegill sunfish as SIO3 pointed out already.

[snagged in outlet 3]

3 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

That is a bluegill sunfish as SIO3 pointed out already.

The rest are too