Category:Warmouth

War"mouth, n. (zoöl.)

Defn: an american freshwater bream, or sunfish (chænobryttus Gulosus); -- called also red-eyed bream.

WARMOUTH
Name:								Average length: 4-10 inches Kingdom:	Animalia				Average weight: Phylum:	Chordata				World record: 2 lbs. 7 oz.	Class:		Actinopterygii				Lifespan: not known Order:		Perciformes Family:	Centrarchidae Genus:		Lepomis Species:	L. gulosus

Binomial name: Lepomis gulosus

Other names it goes by: redeye, goggle-eye, red-eyed bream, weed bass, wood bass, stump knocker, mudgapper, mo-mouth, morgan, molly, rock bass, open mouth, strawberry “perch”, mud bass

Where they live: Warmouth are found in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins from western Pennsylvania to Minnesota in the north and south to the Gulf of Mexico. They are also in the Atlantic and Gulf tributaries from the Rappahannock River in Virginia to the Rio Grande in Texas and New Mexico. They can be found in ponds, natural lakes, swamps and slow-moving streams with ample aquatic vegetation and a muddy bottom. They also habitate in weedy turbulent areas of rivers and backwaters.

What they eat: insects, crayfish, mollusks, and smaller fish

How it can be identified: -red eyes -thick body with olive brown or mottled brown color on back and sides -Yellow or golden belly -3-5 reddish-brown streaks radiating from the red eye -closed mouth extends to the eye -three spines in the anal fin (rock bass have 6 spines) -10 spines in the dorsal fin -males have a bright orange spot at base of dorsal fin -gill flaps often red -small teeth on tongue

Life cycle: -males construct nest by fanning tail over site to remove silt and debris -nests are disc-shaped in 2-4 feet of water near stump, vegetation or large submerged object -young hatch in 3 days -small fry leave nest 5-6 days after hatching -can grow up to 10 inches and weigh up to 2.25 pounds.

Warmouth fish are so named because of the stripes around its mouth that look like warpaint. It is native to many of the states from western Pennsylvania to Minnesota in the north to the Rio Grande in New Mexico in the south and east from there to the Atlantic Ocean. You will find these fish in heavily vegetated, muddy bottomed ponds, lakes, swamps, and streams with 78°-85°F (25°-29°C) water temperatures being their favorite.

The typical warmouth is between 4 and 10 inches (10.2-25 cm), although they can be over a foot long(31 cm) and weigh up to 2.25 lbs.( 1 kg). They are mottled brown in color or have a yellowish coloring with brown spots growing larger at the top of its back. and their gill flaps can be red. They have 3 spines in the anal fin, which is a distinguishing point from rock bass (6 spines) or green sunfish. They also have 10 spines in the dorsal fin and small teeth present on the tongue.

Nests are made by the male who fans his tail over an area near a stump, clump of vegetation, or submerged object to remove silt and debris. The nests are usually made in 1.5-4 feet (0.45 to 1.25m) of water. The males defend the nest and even the small fry when they hatch. Eggs can hatch in as little as 34 hours, but typically hatch after 3 days. The fry leave the nest after growing 1-2 inches (25-51mm) by the fall.