Redbreast sunfish
The redbreast sunfish is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Centrarchiformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to the river systems of eastern Canada and the United States. The redbreast sunfish reaches a maximum recorded length of about.
The species prefers vegetated and rocky pools and lake margins for its habitat. Its diet can include insects, snails, and other small invertebrates. A panfish popular with anglers, the redbreast sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists. Redbreast sunfish are usually caught with live bait such as nightcrawlers, crickets, grasshoppers, waxworms, or mealworms. They can also be caught using small lures or flies. Most anglers use light spinning tackle to catch redbreast sunfish. It is popular with fly anglers in the winter because it will more readily strike a moving fly than will bluegills in cooler water.
As is typical for the sunfishes, the female redbreast sunfish lays her eggs in a substrate depression built by the male. The male guards the eggs and fry.
The specific epithet, auritus, is Latin for big-eared.
Image:RedbreastedsunfishtallapoosaRiver.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Typical redbreast sunfish from the Tallapoosa River in Alabama
Description
The average length of the redbreast sunfish is around with a record. The record weight for the fish is. The redbreast sunfish is characterized by a long black opercular flap, which is longer than those of most other sunfish in its range. There are a few blue iridescent vermiculations on the head. Small teeth may be appreciated, mostly on the roof of the mouth. There are faint vertical bars present on the olive-green bodies of both sexes, which may become more apparent as the background coloration changes to blue-green near the lateral line. Males have darker ventral coloration than that of females, ranging from orange-yellow to orange-red. The caudal fin has a shallow fork and may have orange to red pigmentation. It is common within the redbreast sunfish's native and introduced range for hybridization with other sunfish species to occur.Distribution
The species' native range is in the eastern United States and Canada, in rivers emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. The redbreast sunfish tends to be more of a cool-river species, but also inhabits freshwater lakes and streams. The species has been introduced as far west as Louisiana and West Texas.Lepomis auritus has been transplanted to and become established in Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. The effects of introduced populations of redbreast sunfish on native species are not well studied.
Ecology
Redbreast sunfish mainly consume immature aquatic insects. Mayflies, small fish, and dragonfly larvae consist of the majority of the sunfish's diet based on stomach content. Small crayfish may also be consumed. Being an opportunistic feeder, the fish competes with other sunfish and larger predatory fish that prey on the same food they do.Larger piscivorous fish are the main predators of smaller redbreast sunfish. Micropterus species are a major threat to sunfish because of their shared habitat and the availability of the sunfish. The sunfish prefers structures around banks and overhanging branches that provide food, shade, and protection. Lepomis auritus survives best in water with a current and a pH between 7.0 and 7.5. Lack of current, overly acidic, or basic water can dramatically affect the sunfish's survival rate.
Human influence on abiotic factors, such as sunlight, and biotic factors, such as predator numbers, can have a major influence on sunfish. Clearing debris from the bank can increase the amount of sunlight that reaches the water, thus increasing water temperature, while also decreasing the number of hiding places along the bank that sunfish can use. Decreasing the number of larger predatory fish by harvesting them will increase the survival rate of the redbreast sunfish.