Lepomis gibbosus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 826-827

Lepomis gibbosus

Common name. Pumpkinseed.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from Micropterus nigricans by: ● flank blueish with many orange blotches and spots, usually

Lepomis gibbosus ; Oum er Rbia drainage, Morocco; ~ 100 mm SL.

with indistinct dark-blue bars / ● head yellowish, orange, or brown with bright blue stripes or marmorated pattern / ● opercular flap with red margin at tip and white margin at upper and lower edge / ○ 36–47 lateral-line scales on body / ● no lateral stripe or series of blotches / ● mouth small, upper jaw length about equal to eye diameter. Size up to 320 mm SL.

Distribution. Western and northern Anatolia, and Cyprus. Native to North America, in Great Lakes, St. Lawrence and upper Mississippi drainages, and Atlantic basin. Widely introduced in temperate waters in Europe since 1880s as a pond and aquarium fish. Now widely distributed throughout Europe, particularly in Mediterranean countries.

Habitat. Slow-flowing to still waters such as large rivers, lakes, ponds, canals, and backwaters. Avoid swift waters. In estuaries with salinity up to 18 ‰.

Biology. Lives up to 8 years. First spawns at 1–3 years. Spawns April–June when temperatures reach 16–18°C. Male fan and defend nests, which are shallow depressions in sand or gravel on shallow shores. Nests in colonies in sunny open habitats. Each male may spawn with several females in one nest and will guard nest until abandoned by larvae. Feeds on a wide variety of invertebrates.

Conservation status. Non-native; mostly spread as a weed with stocked fish for fisheries.

Further reading. Jenkins & Burkhead 1993 (biology).

Open Access. © 2025 JÖrg Freyhof, Baran Yoğurtçuoğlu, Arash Jouladeh-Roudbar and Cüneyt Kaya, published by De Gruyter. the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111677811-048

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Micropterus nigricans ; Lago di Nemi, Italy; ~ 150 mm SL.