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<br />Distribution; Abundance; Habitat. Its advent in the river is unknown,
<br />According to some residents (who have identified it with certainty) t\j~
<br />green sunfish has been present much longer than has the bluegill, am\
<br />, __ ,__ '___S()me speak of it as the" native perch."
<br />As witli'several other-fisMs ofutheriver, tbe collections in 19,e
<br />~ere not large enough in all areas to determine definIfely the abundance
<br />of this species. Green sunfish were colleeted at most points along tb~
<br />lower river below Lake Havasu, and maybe expected in any of its
<br />distributaries. A rough estimate (based on all types of collecting done
<br />in 1942) is that bluegills outnumbered green sunfish about 10 to l.
<br />It is possible, however, that in the canals and turbid streams of the
<br />Imperial Valley the green sunfish have a numerical superiority. It is a
<br />common complaint in the Valley that the "bluegills here never grO-\i
<br />up"; it is suspected tbat the residents are referring to green sunfish,
<br />The few collections made in the ditches here arid in a small cut-off lake
<br />on the Alamo River produced only green sunfish, and most of these were
<br />of small size.
<br />Shortly after Lake Havasu was created, green sunfish were reported
<br />by several members of the Division of Fish and Game to be extremely
<br />abundant, No sunfish were collected from here by the 1942 surwy,
<br />Several residents of Needles and Blythe informed me (in 1942) t11a.
<br />the "sun perch" or "sunfish" (which they distinguished from th~
<br />bluegill) had become depleted-although there were swarms of the!!i
<br />in 1940, M:r, W, C, Blewett (letter of April 9,1944) tells me that this
<br />information is quite correct. He says that green sunfish were abm..lant
<br />in Hayasu in 1939 and 1940 but declined sharply in 19-H and that b:;
<br />19i1 they were nearly all gone. Meanwhile, he states, the bluegill
<br />appears to have taken its place, being present in large numbers nd\\'.
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<br />172
<br />
<br />CALIFOR:s'tA FISH ANt> GAME
<br />
<br />OF THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER
<br />
<br />. Green sunfish, LeIJa..is cya..ell..s Rafinesque
<br />
<br />Local Names. Sunfish; sun perch; "perch' j; "bluegill"; "warmouth"
<br />( occasionally) .
<br />
<br />Recognition Chara.cters,
<br />
<br />See bluegill, p. 169.
<br />
<br />Size, Only a few green sunfish were taken by angling (the "mall",'
<br />5.9 inches long) and none were seen in angler's catches. ConseqUt'n,\~',
<br />no remarks can be made regarding the size usually taken by fishel'1I1ell.
<br />The largest specimen taken (in a hoop-net) was 7.1 inches long,
<br />
<br />Reproduction. One hundred green sunfish (range, 1,1 to 7.1 inches in
<br />length) were examined in May to determine the size at first maturity
<br />All of these fish under 2,4 inches in length (64) were sexually iUlmatur~,
<br />All fish (36) either male or female 2,4 inches in length or o,'e1' Wt'ft'
<br />adults. Hubbs and Cooper (1935) found tbat green sunfish in ;.lichi~aB
<br />over 3 inches in total length were mostly mature; those less than 3 inch"";
<br />were almost always immature.
<br />The duratio~ of the spawning season in the Colorado bas not bet'n
<br />determined. No fish examined in January exhibited perceptible sl~"
<br />of ripeness. All adult' fish taken during May (6th-24th) \\,ere np",
<br />It is probable that the spawning season of this species is rather pr()lf)ll~~
<br />bere. ,
<br />
<br />rfor largemouth b
<br />o<:,.l",~ ass and sunfish In Ma tI
<br />:'>.' , r nez Lake, Arizona, Feb, 1949
<br />v aWlth t~e bluegill, the foods eat b M'
<br />. '" "chependmg upon the locality f en Yh~he green sunfish varied
<br />s of e' ht fi h .. rom w leh th .
<br />:from d,Ig , s contaming food (22-4 6 ~y wer~ collected,
<br />>. a Itch m the Imperial V 11 " , mches In lenoth \
<br />.' Whether measured bv fre a eY,on February 7, 1942, ;er~
<br />.:' , ~-total volume the mo .t~' quenc) of occurrence or by
<br />, uV n h ' ' s Important fo d . per-
<br />, "-:~~~n-"ti' ybm p s, clnronomids and cadd' fl .01 s ~ere: dragonflv and
<br />. ., >_ ,'~..... c eetles I IS:\- arvae H' h .
<br />'_ --~~~h ( were a so represented B t' h' Ig' 1'1' plants
<br />_ . Gua~R' - ,- range, 2,4-7,0 inches' I' u I~ t e stomaehs of 16
<br />__-:' ~!v~r on May 11, 1U-!::? b' .k' I~ ength) semed from tlI~ 10 .
<br />) occurred ' at S\\ lllllners ana fi h' ~ ~ 1'1'
<br />.and t m.ost freyuel1t1v and in tl l; (Gambu,<i.a aud
<br />~'_, _ errestrla1 insects we're l'epre' let glTeatest volume, .\.quatic
<br />Jo;el1 ec only a fe . t' ,
<br />th . \\ lllIes and 111
<br />c s~ data and those shown in Table -1 ' ,
<br />~ h, even of small size have t ' there IS an IJ1dication
<br />~; ~,_ ' .such as fisb or dragonfi~-lar'-aa :lltdheney to select the larfJ'er
<br />," , > . ,era er th tl e
<br />~: t~eFishery T . ' an Ie smaller ones.
<br />$Y.:of h . 0 ~ certam extent th I .
<br />",val t e Colorado IS quite similar t t~ P ace of tbIS species in
<br />:'.' ues as a pan fish, foraO'e fish ,0, at, of the bluegill. That
<br />''i: are excellent fighters'" and ;e:nd baIt fish. Green sunfish
<br />an does the bluegill. On the ~~o \ake a lure with more
<br />Cgreen sunfish to be more d to. er, land, several workers
<br />. Doper, 1935, p, 693; Rennett e1~~~ental..than useful. (Se~
<br />~:,,": es catchable size and;t ' . , p. 362,) ,In mallY areas
<br />emonth for its siz~ and .mr::\~Y o;erpopu.late waters. . It has
<br />o..!.gergame fishes as well as. ~c" as a dIrect competitor for
<br />'.' , PH'\ mfJ' 011 b th th .
<br />~i'>c, '." 0 ell' eggs and
<br />
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