14 replies to this topic

[Betta132]

Found this guy in a river that often has bluegill/longear hybrids, and a few redbreast sunnies. Is this a redbreast/bluegill? The stripes and color don't look quite right for it to be a pureblood redbreast. Or I might just have pulled up another oddly colored bluegill. 

For comparison, this is what redbreasts usually look like in this river, though this guy's a bit over average size: 

Edited by Betta132, 21 June 2015 - 11:36 AM.

[Isaac Szabo]

I think it's probably just a bluegill.

[butch]

Its just a bluegill

[mattknepley]

Bluegill, like you said, but I can see where the breast color might throw you.

[Betta132]

Is there any particular reason a bluegill would have the red/orange breast? Is that a display color?

[Isaac Szabo]

It's just normal coloration for adult males.

[Michael Wolfe]

they are all SUN-fish

[centrarchid]

My adult male bluegill have darker / smokier breast areas if of the nest building type. I would like to see the operculum area more closely.

[Evan P]

That is very typical coloration for northern Bluegill.

[Betta132]

Northern? I'm about as far South as you can go without being coastal. 

[centrarchid]

I live in the core of Northern Bluegill territory, work with it and a very good repressentation of the other Bluegills.  That fish looks odd.  Betta132, are you in extreme southern Texas?

[Dustin]

Not to add less clarity to the situation, but this is also the way the non-breeding bluegills look in SC.  It looks like a very typical fish for this area.

[Betta132]

I'm in Central Texas. This fish was pulled out of the San Gabriel river, if that helps. 

The photo doesn't show it, but this fish had a slight tint of purple between the stripes, like the purple on baby sunfish. Could it have somehow retained traces of the baby coloration? Or could it be 3/4 bluegill? I've found longear/bluegill hybrids in this river before, though they're usually very small. I don't think they get over longear size, and I've never seen a longear over 5" around here. 

 

These two are from about a mile down the river, in a spot where the fish can grow to adult size without being caught for bait. They're probably from the same genetic stock, if it's helpful. 

[butch]

Dude, they're just bluegills.

[centrarchid]

See following thread.  I have beaten bushes looking at Bluegill from all over.  Some in Texas do look a bit different despite everyone and their brother stocking other Bluegills on top of them.

 

http://forum.nanfa.o...ill-subspecies/