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Green Sunfish Color Morph


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#1 strat guy

strat guy
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  • Orland Park, IL

Posted 01 November 2016 - 08:05 PM

Hey guys, been a while since I posted.

Ran into a guy who works for a hatchery, showed me this picture. Said he caught it in Guist Creek Lake, KY. He had it positively ID'd by three ichthyologists that he works with as a Green Sunfish. Anyone ever seen anything like this? The second one is the same fish in captivity

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120 low tech native planted - Blackstriped Topminnow, Central Stoneroller, Fathead minnow, Golden Shiner, Black chin shiner, Carmine Shiner, Emerald Shiner, Sand Shiner, Spotfin Shiner, Orangethroat darter, Johnny Darter, and Banded Darter.


#2 centrarchid

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Posted 02 November 2016 - 06:16 AM

Before calling it a color morph I would need to see if it is heritable.  Breed it.  If no off spring similar, then at best recessive.  Then breed off\spring back to it to look for recessive.  Fish has age so may make breeding back to offspring tough.


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#3 FishGuyJosh

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  • Regional Rep

Posted 02 November 2016 - 02:47 PM

I definitely have one in my collection that look almost EXACTLY like that. Those underlying vertical bars just show up way more dominant than usual, not matter what colored tank I put it in. The one I have is older as well. Maybe is comes out in some older GSF?


FishGuyJosh

#4 strat guy

strat guy
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  • Orland Park, IL

Posted 02 November 2016 - 08:02 PM

Here's his reply:

Those fish are at the hatchery in KY, I retired this August. The green was a male, so not used in hybrid sunfish production. I kept it in a tank for a while, then put it in a pond with other greens and broodstock catfish. It may end up as catfish food, or spawn with greens and be part of the green sunfish stock.


120 low tech native planted - Blackstriped Topminnow, Central Stoneroller, Fathead minnow, Golden Shiner, Black chin shiner, Carmine Shiner, Emerald Shiner, Sand Shiner, Spotfin Shiner, Orangethroat darter, Johnny Darter, and Banded Darter.


#5 gerald

gerald
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  • Wake Forest, North Carolina

Posted 05 November 2016 - 09:24 AM

Looks like it's just missing the yellow & red pigments of a normal green.


Gerald Pottern
-----------------------
Hangin' on the Neuse
"Taxonomy is the diaper used to organize the mess of evolution into discrete packages" - M.Sandel


#6 strat guy

strat guy
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  • Orland Park, IL

Posted 06 November 2016 - 08:20 PM

Apparently, the ickthyologists he talked to had seen several like that before, which is why they were so certain on the identity.

120 low tech native planted - Blackstriped Topminnow, Central Stoneroller, Fathead minnow, Golden Shiner, Black chin shiner, Carmine Shiner, Emerald Shiner, Sand Shiner, Spotfin Shiner, Orangethroat darter, Johnny Darter, and Banded Darter.


#7 centrarchid

centrarchid
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Posted 07 November 2016 - 10:27 AM

I have no doubts it is a Green Sunfish and a pure one at that.  What I question is the mechanism by which the yellow color is absent.  I doubt diet as I have not seen that with nutrition trialed fish.  Sickness could cause such.  I doubt if nerve damage would cover up yellow.  Metabolic issue with A-vitamers in my opinion at top of list although that could be due to sickness or genetics.


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#8 strat guy

strat guy
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  • Orland Park, IL

Posted 07 November 2016 - 09:15 PM

Yeah I really have no idea. I think sickness is off the table though, since local scientists knew of the variety, and this one In particular was kept captive for a time. Buuuut, not my fish and not my catch so my information ends here.

120 low tech native planted - Blackstriped Topminnow, Central Stoneroller, Fathead minnow, Golden Shiner, Black chin shiner, Carmine Shiner, Emerald Shiner, Sand Shiner, Spotfin Shiner, Orangethroat darter, Johnny Darter, and Banded Darter.





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