Description
Micropterus punctulatus (Spotted Bass) is in many characters intermediate between M. salmoides (Largemouth Bass) and M., dolomieu (Smallmouth Bass). It was not recognized as a distinct species until 1927 (Hubbs 1927; cited by Jenkins and Burkhead 1993)
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animalia | Chordata | Osteichthyes | Perciformes | Centrarchidae | Micropterus |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Established | Expanding | Introduced | Boundary Resident | North America | North America | Fisheries(Fisheries Intentional) |
History of Spread
Micropterus punctulatus (Spotted Bass) has been stocked less widely (12 states) than the M. salmoides and M. dolomieu, mostly by state agencies (Fuller et al. 1999). It is native to the Mississippi basin from OH and WV to KS, and south to Gulf of Mexico drainages from GA to TX. It has been introduced in the James and Pamunkey Rivers VA, in the Appalachicola basin (GA-AL-FL), Cape Fear (NC) and Roanoke (NC-VA)(Lee et al. 1980) and in NM and CA (Page and Burr 1991) and South Africa (Carlander 1977). This species is established in San Francisco Bay tidal waters and wetlands (Dill and Cordone 1997), but not included in Cohen and Carlton (1995).
James River - Micropterus punctulatus was stocked in 1976-77, by the Virginia Division of Game and Inland Fisheries (VGDIF) in Appomatox River. By 1984 'good catches' occurred in the river and in Lake Chesdin near Fall Line in 1986 (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993).
York River - Micropterus punctulatus was stocked in 1979 in South Anna R.; and is established and spawning in South Anna and upper Pamunkey Rivers (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993).
By 2005, this fish was recorded in the Virginia Juvenile Striped Bass Survey, which includes tidal waters of the York and James River systems. It was not listed in a 1998 Web version of the survey's species table (Virginia Institute of Marine Science 1998-2005).
History References - Dill and Cordone 1997; Fuller et al. 1999; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993; Lee et al. 1980; Page and Burr 1991; Virginia Institute of Marine Science 1998-2005)
Invasion Comments
None
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | 36.8 | 15.0 | 22.8 | |
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Oxygen | hypoxic | |||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | fresh-oligo |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | 216.0 | 216.0 |
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | 340.0 | 340.0 |
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 686.0 | 686.0 |
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Typical Longevity (yrs | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Micropterus punctulatus (Spotted Bass) occasionally invades tidal freshwater sections of the James and York systems (Virginia Institute of Marine Science 2005). Based on its distribution in the Gulf of Mexico region (MS), it's unlikely to penetrate as far into brackish water as M. salmoides (Largemouth Bass) (Peterson 1988). Currently, it is apparently uncommon but increasing along the nontidal York and James drainages in VA (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993).
Fisheries - Micropterus punctulatus, 'The spotted bass provides anglers with sport and tasty eating in some areas of Virginia that are not well suited to the smallmouth or largemouth basses'. It is still apparently uncommon, though increasing, in the James and Pamunkey where it has been introduced, and is unlikely to penetrate far into estuarine waters (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993).
References- Jenkins and Burkhead 1993; Virginia Institute of Marine Science 2005
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Micropterus punctulatus, the Spotted Bass is a popular sportfish over its native range and its small introduced range, but is not as well-known as M. salmoides (Largemouth Bass) or M. dolomieu (Smallmouth Bass) (Carlander 1977; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993). Negative economic effects of its introductions have apparently not been reported.
References - Carlander 1977; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Micropterus punctulatus (Spotted Bass) appears to be a boundary resdient, occasionally occurring in tidal freshwater sections of the James and York systems (Virginia Institute of Marine Science 2005). Based on its distribution in the Gulf of Mexico region (MS), it's unlikely to penetrate as far into brackish water as M. salmoides (Largemouth Bass) (Peterson 1988).
Comeptition - Some food overlap was seen between M. punctulatus and introduced Morone saxatilis (Striped Bass) in an OK reservoir. However, differences in habitat preference were thought to minimize competition between Micropterus spp. and M. saxatilis, although conclusions about M. punctulatus were limited by its low abundance (Matthews et al. 1992).
Predation - The impact of additional predation by Micropterus punctulatus on Chesapeake Bay proper is likely to be small due to limited potential range in the estuary, and competition with existing stocks of M. salmoides. M. punctulatus are less piscivorous than M. salmoides and feed more on insects and crayfish (Carlander 1977; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993), so that predation on these invertebrate groups could increase in the nontidal York and James River systems, where the M. punctulatus population is increasing.
References - Carlander 1977; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993; Peterson 1988; Virginia Institute of Marine Science 2005
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Micropterus punctulatus (Spotted Bass) appears to occasionally invade tidal freshwater sections of the James and York River systems (Virginia Institute of Marine Science 2005). Based on its distribution in the Gulf of Mexico region (MS), it's unlikely to penetrate as far into brackish water as M. salmoides (Largemouth Bass) (Peterson 1988).
Competition - Micropterus punctulatus (Spotted Bass) could be a possible competitor with M. dolomieu (Smallmouth Bass) and M. salmoides ((Largemouth Bass), since it is roughly intermediate between the other two in habitat preferences. Its food preferences are most similar to M. dolomieu and it is less piscivorous than M. salmoides. (Carlander 1977). Juveniles of M. punctulatus broadly overlapped with M. dolomieu in food habits and habitat in Claytor Lake VA; M. dolomieu appeared likely to inhibit the growth of M. punctulatus (Kelso and Ney 1982). Substantial overlap in habitat use and diet was seen between M. punctulatus and M. salmoides in an OK reservoir, although the low abundance of M. punctulatus limited conclusions (Matthews et al. 1992). Less overlap was seen in a comparison with Morone chrysops (White Bass), also in OK (Matthews et al. 1992). Morone chrysops is present in some reservoirs and fish farms in the Chesapeake drainage (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993; Harrell 1996), and is a potential invader of tidal waters.
Predation - Micropterus punctulatus is probably a predator of introduced sunfish species; including Lepomis macrochirus and Lepomis cyanellus (Carlander 1977).
Referencess - Carlander 1977; Harrell 1996; Kelso and Ney 1982; Matthews et al. 1992; Virginia Institute of Marine Science 2005
References
Carlander, Kenneth D. (1977) Handbook of Freshwater Fishery Biology. , In: (Eds.) Handbook of Freshwater Fishery Biology, Volume Two: Life History Data on Centrarchid Fishes of the U.S & Canada. , Ames. Pp. AmesHardy, Jerry D., Jr. (1978) Development of fishes of the Mid-Atlantic Bight. Vol. 3. Aphredoderidae through Rachycentridae., In: (Eds.) . , Washington DC. Pp.
Jenkins, Robert E.; Burkhead, Noel M. (1993) Freshwater fishes of Virginia., , Bethesda, MD. Pp.
Kelso, W. E.; Ney, J. J. (1982) Electivity and trophic overlap between larval smallmouth and spotted bass in Claytor Lake, Virginia, Virginia Journal of Science 33: 112
Lee, David S.; Gilbert, Carter R.; Hocutt, Charles H.; Jenkins, Robert E.; McAllister, Don E.; Stauffer, Jay R. (1980) Atlas of North American Freshwater Fishes, , Raleigh. Pp.
Matthews, William J.; Gelwick, Frances P.; Hoover, Jan. J. (1992) Food and habitat use of juveniles of species of Micropterus and Morone in a southwestern reservoir., Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 121: 54-66
Page, Lawrence M.; Burr, Brooks M. (1991) Freshwater Fishes., , Boston. Pp.
Peterson, Mark S. (1988) Comparative physiological ecology of centrarchids in hyposaline environments, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 45: 827-833
1998-2005 VIMS's juvenile striped bass seine survey- species caught. http://www.fisheries.vims.edu/trawlseine/sbspchgt.htm