Northern Sunfish
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Name and Code
Family
Centrarchidae - sunfishes and basses
Species
Lepomis peltastes
Taxonomic Authority
Cope 1870
Common Name(s)
Northern Sunfish
French Name
crapet du nord
Species Code
315
Family TSN
168093
Parent TSN
168130
Species TSN
936897
Conservation Status
Global Rank (GRank)
G5 (2013-01-18)
National Rank (NRank)
N3?1, N32 (2017-01-12)
Provincial Rank (SRank)
S3 (2016-10-19)
COSEWIC Status
Special Concern1, Not at Risk2 (Apr 2016)
SARO Status
Special Concern1, Not at Risk2 (2016)
AFS Status
none
Status Notes
(1) Great Lakes-Upper St. Lawrence populations; (2) Saskatchewan-Nelson River populations
Ecological Value
Ontario Origin
native/introduced
General Abundance
uncommon
Tolerance
intermediate
Economic Importance
none
Length-Weight Regression Coefficents
Intercept (a)
-5.4692
Slope (b)
3.4369
Length Basis
TL
Habitat and Feeding
General Habitat(s)
lacustrine; riverine
Environment
benthopelagic
Trophic Class
invertivore
Thermal Regime
warmwater
Habitat Preference
warm, clear, quiet pools in creeks and rivers, ponds and lake shallows with aquatic vegetation and sand/silt/marl substrates; preferred water temperature 21°C
Reproduction
Reproductive Guild
Guarders: Nest spawners: Polyphils
Spawning Habitat(s)
lacustrine; riverine
Spawning Season
summer
Spawning Month(s)
June-July
Spawning Temperature (°C)
20-25
Fecundity
480-3,560
Nursery Habitat(s)
lacustrine; riverine
Size and Age
Adult Length (cm)
7.5-12.2 TL
Adult Weight (kg)
0.006-0.036
Age at Maturity (yrs)
2-3
Maximum Length (cm)
14.8 TL
Maximum Weight (kg)
no data
Lifespan (yrs)
6-9
Ontario Records
Record Length (cm)
11.5 TL
Record Weight (kg)
none
Ontario Range Map
Northern Sunfish range
Ontario Distribution
southwestern, eastern and northwestern Ontario; introduced to Kawartha Lakes
Photographs
Northern Sunfish photograph
Northern Sunfish photograph
Notes
hybrids with Pumpkinseed and other sunfishes (Lepomis spp.) reported; intolerant of siltation and pollution; sensitive to removal of aquatic vegetation; formerly considered a subspecies of Lepomis megalotis
Information Sources
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