Sunfish Needed For Careers In Science

Hi everybody,

I am working on an ecology study of the sunfish family. Specifically, I’m doing a survey of Centrarchid visual properties; how they see in different water conditions, how that affects what they eat and so on. I was hoping that some of you might be able to help me out.

I'm looking to get my hands on 5-6 adult individuals from a large number of species in the Sunfish family. I've been driving around the northeastern US to catch them, but many of the fish are somewhat far away from where I'm working, so I'm hoping to get them through the miracle of FedEx.

If you can get your hands on some fish from your local area and can send them to me, I would be very grateful! Even if you can only find/send one or two fish, that would still be a great help.

Information would also be useful, so if you know of someone who can sell or donate them to my work, or if you know of any lakes/rivers in the northeast where they can be reliably angled for, the info would also be great. I’m working in Ithaca, NY, and would be happy to go anywhere within a day or two of driving.

I would cover any shipping costs. I’d also be happy to send you fish from the Northeastern US that you are interested in (e.g. Pumpkinseeds, Black Crappies, Greens, Rock Bass, Redbreast or Bluegills).

The following sunnies are the ones I'm still looking for:


Orangespotted Sunfish (Lepomis humilis)
Longear Sunfish (L. megalotis megalotis and L megalotis peltastes)
Bantam Sunfish (L. symmetricus)
Redspotted Sunfish (L. miniatus)
Spotted Sunfish (L. punctatus)
Mud Sunfish (L. pomotis)
Warmouth (L. gulosis)
Redear Sunfish (L. microlophus)
Dollar Sunfish (L. marginatus)

Bluespotted Sunfish (Enneacanthus gloriosus)
Banded Sunfish (E. obesus)
Blackbanded Sunfish (E. chaetodon)

Flier (Centrarchis Macropterus)


I'm also on the lookout for several types of Bass. These guys are harder to find and harder to ship, generally, but if you’re in an industrious mood and you have a strange surplus of rare Bass in your neighbourhood, it would be super if you could help out.

These are the fish:

Suwannee Bass (Micropterus notius)
Shoal Bass (M. cataractae)
Guadalupe Bass (M. treculi)
Spotted Bass (M. punctualus)
Redeye Bass (M. coosae)

Shadow Bass (Ambloplites ariommus)
Roanoke Bass (A. cavifrons)
Ozark Bass (A. constellatus)

Of course, if by some amazing stroke of luck, you happen to live in Southern California and can get your hands on a few Sacramento Perch (the only member of the family native to the western drainage), that would make me especially ecstatic.


Thanks for sparing the time to read through the list, and happy sunfishin'.

Smbass has dollar, redspotted, bantam, and longear sunfish for sale. Check the vendors section.

Would you be interested in YOY spotted bass? I might come across them in the near future.

wow if this were a day or two sooner I could have gotten you the bluespots no problem. we hit the jackpot yesterday in this nasty little ditch and they probably would have been living the highlife in an aquarium and out of the 1.5 DO ditch. I can PM you information for someone in my old lab that may be able to acquire you the M. coosae from Tennessee where they abundant and non-native.

Wish I could help you but I only have access to the same sunfish species as you. I live about 45 minutes north of Ithaca. Nice to meet a local fish nut. I do know where you could get some bluespotted sunfish however. Jamesville Reservoir, near Syracuse. I have been meaning to go there myself all summer but just haven't gotten the chance.

I can provide 10 each of the following in the 4 to 6 inch range.

Central Longear Sunfish (L. megalotis megalotis)
Redspotted Sunfish (L. miniatus)
Warmouth (L. gulosis)
Redear Sunfish (L. microlophus)
Ozark bass (A. constellatus)


Also have 2 inch white crappie (pond reared). If willing to wait a couple months then could puch 4 inches.

White crappie versus black crappie and green sunfish versus warmouth interesting couplets in terms of turbidity / structure associations.

Could generate spotted sunfish but take a few months.

Would interspecific / intergeneric hybrids be informative? If so talk of line.

I definitely appreciate the offer. Unfortunately, I need more mature individuals, but thanks regardless!

Would you be interested in YOY spotted bass? I might come across them in the near future.

Specifically, I’m doing a survey of Centrarchid visual properties; how they see in different water conditions,

How are you gonna do this? (i.e. What is the experimental protocol?)

How are you gonna do this? (i.e. What is the experimental protocol?)

I'm just guessing, but I think I know how he would do it. He's probably going to have the same size of the same species of fish in several tanks with different water conditions and see how they react to certain prey/objects/etc.

Are you working out of Cornell? If so, I may have some additional questions for you via PM...

Actually, my partner and I are using several different tools to analyze visual properties. Rather than a behavioral-type study, we've chosen to study the physical properties of the eyes. Specifically, we're looking at retinal tissue and the lens as well as relative sizes of the eyes.

We're using three main tools to study the fish.

First, we're using a device called a MicroSpectroPhotometer (MSP), which is able to measure the light wavelengths that cells absorb. We're also using that microscope to measure the size of various cells involved in vision (rods and cones on the retina). The MSP identifies the colours that excite these visual receptor cells.

Secondly, we're using a laser to measure lens focal distances.

Thirdly, a process called Plastic Sectioning will allow us to study the layout (patterns of distribution and density) of visual receptors on a retina.


Using the collected data, we will try to get an idea of how, what, where and why a species can see "best" - in order to perform essential tasks such as feeding, and recognition of mates

How are you gonna do this? (i.e. What is the experimental protocol?)

Are you looking at other brain features besides the retina? You might find some interesting results if you compare relative size of the optic tectum. We've found that the optic tectum varies between sexes in scarlet shiners, and as a relative measure of overall brain size between more and less dominant males. Soon coming to a journal near you....

Are you looking at other brain features besides the retina? You might find some interesting results if you compare relative size of the optic tectum. We've found that the optic tectum varies between sexes in scarlet shiners, and as a relative measure of overall brain size between more and less dominant males. Soon coming to a journal near you....

Well, at the moment, this is just a M.Sc. project, so time and financial constraints limit what I can look at. Nonetheless, looking at brain features would be very interesting, so that may be a next step if this research is carried on. I am considering looking at ganglion cell density/optic nerve size, but that is the closest I would get to looking at the brain at this point.

I will definitely look forward to reading your article when it gets published. Do you know in which Journal it will appear?

Hi Folks!

I'm planning a trip down to Virginia/North Carolina for the first week in October to look for Mud Sunfish, Banded Sunfish, Black Banded Sunfish, Fliers and Roanoke Bass. Are there any locals down there who can give me some good collecting spots? I've been pointed towards a lovely place called the "Dismal Swamp".

Anybody have other places to get the above fish, or some guidance for the Dismal Swamp?

Cheers~!

I will definitely look forward to reading your article when it gets published. Do you know in which Journal it will appear?

We plan on submitting it to Journal of Neuroscience. It will assess what it takes to be successfully "male" for scarlet shiners, reporting on measurements of brain structures and overall brain size in males and females, and an assessment of blood plasma levels of 11-ketotestosterone via ELISA in males and females. The short answer is that alpha males are very different even from sub-alpha males, much less females. Some of this material will be presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego in November about the same time we hope to submit a manuscript to J. Neuroscience.

This is going afield from Sunfishes and Basses. But a similar study on any of the centrarchids would probably show something similar. All you have to do is master the use of ELISA techniques(!).

Hi Folks!

I'm planning a trip down to Virginia/North Carolina for the first week in October to look for Mud Sunfish, Banded Sunfish, Black Banded Sunfish, Fliers and Roanoke Bass. Are there any locals down there who can give me some good collecting spots? I've been pointed towards a lovely place called the "Dismal Swamp".

Anybody have other places to get the above fish, or some guidance for the Dismal Swamp?

Cheers~!

You won't be able to get Blackbandeds in VA, unless you obtain a permit for T&E species. I have yet to find Bandeds but they are supposed to be in the Great Dismal Swamp. This area is a refuge, so again you'd have to get a permit to collect there. There are some places I've seen where mud sunfish are supposed to be, but have yet to venture out that way. We've found young fliers but not sure how guaranteed of a spot it is. As for Roanoke Bass, I know you just head west to the Roanoke area and should find them there.

NC posts their reports online so you can look through those to find spots in NC for some of these species. That info is also found in the NC NANFA Convention forum.

Just realized Roanoke Bass are Fed. SOC (Species of Concern) and SSC (State Special Concern).

Thanks for the heads up, drewish. Don't worry - I fully intend to be a responsible while collecting.

Just realized Roanoke Bass are Fed. SOC (Species of Concern) and SSC (State Special Concern).

Hi,
I work at Ithaca College . I have lived in the Ithaca Area for about 30 plus years .;... I used to do a lot of collecting in the area and NYS . I would be happy to help in the search for your sunfish and bass... I will be headed out to collect some small mouth bass ,hopefully this weekend.(10/5)

Work phone is 274-1186 ask for james