Intrusive Thoughts : Can a leopard change its spots?

[Terrierman]

A leopard has a much better chance of changing spots than you.  Never change.

[Ham]

Ozark BassRedspotted SunfishCentral Stoneroller 

[Ham]

May

Freshwater Drum

White Crappie

Spotted Bass

Shortnose Gar

Spotted Gar

Southern Kingcroaker

Gulf Kingcroaker

Pinfish

Redfish

Hardhead Catfish

 

[Ham]

White CrappieShortnose GarGulf Kingcroaker 

[Ham]

So, I’ll do all the fish 60 and beyond.

60) Northern Starhead Topminnow 

Nicely aggressive once the water warms up. 

[Ham]

61) Western Dollars Sunfish

this was a major target the other day. They were making me look Silly sucking  the fly in and blowing it back out before I could react.

i switched flys repeatedly until one sucked it in and held it just long enough for me to get the hookset.  

[Ham]

62) Northern StudfishRecent genetic studies have split this group of fish into three species. The majority of them are Northern Studfish, but there is a separate species in Tennessee now and another one in South Central Arkansas. More to Love.

this is a large top minnow that aggressively runs down prey. Pretty easy with an appropriate size fly 

[Johnsfolly]

@Ham I guess that we need to begin calling them disjunct studfish, Fundulus cryptocatenatus instead of northern studfish. I was hoping for an armchair lifer when they split but the ones that I caught in TN apparently were not in the range of the new split species, tanasi studfish🤨.

[Ham]

Disjunct really rolls off the tongue doesn’t it.

what did the settle on for the one in Central Arkansas? 

[Johnsfolly]

28 minutes ago, Ham said:

Disjunct really rolls off the tongue doesn’t it.

what did the settle on for the one in Central Arkansas? 

Ouachita studfish, Fundulus caddo

I guess technically the old northern studfish species, Fudulus catenatus was renamed as the tanasi studfish. So we have caught the newly split disjunct studfish species😉.

I don't recall if the stippled studfish in central Alabama was part of this split or it's own species previously. Alabama does also have the southern studfish.