Micropterus salmoides
(Lacepéde 1802)
Family Centrarchidae
The largemouth bass is a member of the sunfish family. It has an elongate body and a large mouth, with the upper jaw extending past the eye in the adult. There is a broad black stripe often broken into a series of blotches along the side. This species has scattered black specks on the lower side body and a dusky black edge on a clear to dusky caudal fin. Largemouth bass can be found in lakes, ponds and pools of creeks and small to large rivers.
Status & distribution
- Status — Native freshwater
- Florida Distribution — Western and North Central and Peninsula drainages
- River Drainages — Perdido River, Escambia River, Blackwater 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, Caloosahatchee River, the Everglades, Indian River, the Tolomato or Matanzas River, St. John’s River and the St. Mary’s River