Redspotted sunfish
(Lepomis miniatus)
General data
Max length : 16.0 cm SL
The redspotted sunfish is a freshwater fish that can be found throughout the Mississippi River Valley. The distribution spreads north into Illinois and to the Ohio river, west into Texas and to Red River, and east to the Chattahoochee River in Georgia.
Currently the populations of Lepomis miniatus found in the southern United States seem to be stable.
However, the species numbers have diminished significantly in the state of Illinois which lies at the northernmost point of the fish historic range. Once the redspotted sunfish was found in bodies of water throughout the state but the species range is now limited to just a few counties in the southern portion of Illinois. In fact, surveys conducted in the mid-2000s suggested that just two populations existed in the entire state at the time. There could be a number of causes for the decrease in the Lepomis miniatus in Illinois. A popular theory is that the redspotted sunfish has struggled due to a loss of wetlands, which make up the sunfish natural habitat. The population may also be declining due to increasingly poor water conditions or from competition with invasive species.
