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Rock Bass; Redeye; Goggle-eye — Part 3
Images coming soon.
The green sunfish can be readily told from all other species by the fact that the black opercular spot covers only the bony or hard portion of the opercle.
Apomotis symmetricus is a pretty and interesting sunfish, not uncommon in the lower Mississippi Valley and Texas, where it is a common pan-fish.
GENUS LEPOMIS RAFINESQUE
Common Sunfishes
Body oblong or ovate, more or less compressed; mouth small, the jaws about equal; maxillary narrow, supplemental bone reduced to a mere rudiment or wholly wanting; teeth on vomer and palatines, none on tongue; lower pharyngeals narrow, the teeth spherical or paved, all or nearly all sharp, few or none of them conical; gillrakers mostly short; preopercle entire; opercle ending behind in a convex black flap, which becomes greatly developed with age in some species; branchiostegals 6; scales moderate; one dorsal fin with 10 spines; anal with 3; caudal fin emarginate. Colour, brilliant, but evanescent.
A genus with about 8 species which are among the most difficult of our fishes to distinguish. The form of the body, development of the ear-flap, and height of the spines vary with age and condition, while the general appearance and the number of scales and fin-rays are essentially the same in all.
a. Pectoral fin short, obtuse, not reaching beyond front of anal, considerably shorter than head.
b. Gillrakers shortish, rather firm; palatine teeth present.
c. Opercular flap in adult very long but narrow; scales 43 to 48; longest dorsal spine about 3 in head; some bluish stripes on head; belly red in adult; ....auritus
cc. Opercular flap short and broad; scales 36 to 40; longest dorsal spine about 2 in head; side with rows of red spots; miniatus
bb, Gillrakers very soft and weak; palatine teeth obsolete.
d. Dorsal spines rather long, about 2 in head; side with rows of bronze spots; ..........garmani
dd. Dorsal spines short, about 3 in head in adult; colour brilliant, variable; .........megalotis
aa. Pectoral fin longer, more or less pointed, not much, if any, shorter than head, reaching to or beyond front of anal.
e. Scales very large, about 35 in lateral line.
f. Opercular spot short, wholly surrounded by a red margin; side with conspicuous red spots; .........humilis
ff Opercular spot plain black; body without red spots; haplognathus
ee. Scales moderate or small, more than 40 in lateral line.
g. Dorsal fin without black spot at base of last rays; opercular flap short; side with chain-like cross-bands; ............macrochirus
gg. Dorsal fin with a large black blotch at base of posterior rays; opercular flap large but not long; ..........pallidus