operculum_ben's Favorites

Male hybrid. Warmouth features most obvious with mottling in the median fins and brown radiations from eye. Green features seen with attempt of blue spots in rows as well as yellow/white tinge in median fins. Lacks teeth on the tongue as is seen on pure warmouth. Mouth remains large, pectoral fin short, and gill rakers long as is seen in both parent species. In shallow pond over muddy substrate. Observed during SIU research project.

9.7 cm TL. I believe I finally found one: Lepomis gibbosus x Lepomis auritus (pumpkinseed x redbreast sunfish.)

Lepomids in drainage: Pumpkinseed, redbreast, warmouth, green, bluegill and redear.

The solid red patch on the ear flap and somewhat pointy pectoral fin must be explained by a redear or pumpkinseed.

The dark mottling pattern in the median fins, especially the dorsal fins, is only explained by a pumpkinseed or warmouth.

Pumpkinseed makes further sense with the orange/brown spot pattern on the body and the faded blue streaking on the head (photo #5); that head streaking is also only explained by a pumpkinseed. It’s safe to assume a pumpkinseed is one of the parent species.

The moderately-sized mouth must be explained by the redbreast, green or warmouth. A warmouth cannot be the parent as the orange rays of the median fins are not explained by the pumpkinseed parent and are not explained by a warmouth. And no other warmouth features appear on this specimen.

It’s more difficult to eliminate a green or a redbreast from possibility. The opercular flap’s size and coloration appears with little intermediacy, mostly resembling the pumpkinseed in this area even with the lack of white edging on the top margin. The length of the opercular flap isn’t a significant tell as many redbreast of this size don’t yet show lengthy flaps.

The length of the pectoral fin almost extends to the anterior margin of the eye. Assuming even intermediacy, this is better explained by a redbreast parent than a green. Likewise, the maxilla of the jaw structure only extends just past the anterior margin of the eye—better explained by even intermediacy with a redbreast than a green.

Three features on this specimen common to the redbreast of this area: 1. The dark line of blotching on the proximal portion of the 2d dorsal fin (photo #2.) 2. The two clean blue lines extending into each margin of the opercular flap (photo #7.) 3. The specks of blue iridescence popping up in the anal fin rays (photo #3), though this occurs in pumpkinseed as well.

Finally, with most all green x pumpkinseed hybrids the lateral pattern is much different. In this specimen, the orderly orange/brown spotting along the body seems ideal for a pumpkinseed x redbreast, both of which express orange/brown spotting along the body. Also what is quite common on any green hybrid is more opaque white seen on the margins of the median fins and pelvic fins; here we have mostly clear margins (photo #4), expressed by both pumpkinseed and redbreast. The gill rakers (photo #6) appear very redbreast-like, perhaps a bit shorter, which makes sense with a pumpkinseed parent.

Caught in a turbid creek in a shallow pool. Released after photos.