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Micropterus Lacépède, 1802, is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (family Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. The type species is M. dolomieu, the smallmouth bass. The species of this genus are known as the black basses.
The black basses are distributed throughout a large area east of the Rocky Mountains in North America, from the Hudson Bay basin in Canada to northeastern Mexico. Several species, notably the largemouth and smallmouth basses, have been very widely introduced throughout the world, and are now considered cosmopolitan. Introduction of these two species has caused problems for native fishes in various areas.
All Micropterus species have a dull-green base coloring with dark patterns on the sides. Most reach a maximum overall length of 40–60 cm (16–24 in), but the largemouth has been reported to grow to almost a full metre (just over three feet) in length.
These fish are well known as strong fighters, and are fished recreationally. Their meat is eaten, being quite edible and firm.
The males build nests in which the eggs are deposited by a female and then fertilized. The male continues to guard the eggs and fry until they leave the nest.
The Atlantic bumper (Chloroscombrus chrysurus), while once assigned the generic name of Micropterus, is an unrelated marine fish of family Carangidae. The black basses are sometimes called black trout, but the name trout more correctly refers to certain members of the salmon family (Salmonidae).
References
- FishBase: Micropterus (http://www.fishbase.org/Eschmeyer/GeneraSummary.cfm?ID=Micropterus)
- ITIS: Micropterus (http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=168158)
- Rohde, F. C., et al. Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994.
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