Pomoxis nigromaculatus
(Lesueur 1829)
Family Centrarchidae
The black crappie is a member of the sunfish family. It has an extremely compressed body with a gray-green back and wavy black lines, and there are blotches and green flecks on the silver-blue side body. This species has a large mouth that extends to under the eye and there are between seven and eight dorsal spines. Black crappie can be found in lakes, ponds and sloughs as well as backwaters and pools of creeks and small to large rivers. These fish are usually found near vegetation.
Status & distribution
- Status — Native freshwater
- Florida Distribution — Western and North Central and Peninsula drainages
- River Drainages — Perdido River, Escambia River, Yellow River, Choctawhatchee River, Econfina Creek, Apalachicola River, Ochlockonee River, minor Gulf tributaries, Suwannee River, Withlacoochee River, Tampa Bay, the Myakka or Peace River, Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades, St. John’s River and the St. Mary’s River