| Shoal bass | |
|---|---|
_Flint_River,_GA.png)
| |
| Shoal bass caught on the Flint River, Georgia | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Centrarchidae |
| Genus: | Micropterus |
| Species: | M. cataractae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Micropterus cataractae | |
The shoal bass (Micropterus cataractae) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. One of the black basses, it is native to waters in Florida and Georgia[2]. It is also occasionally found in rivers and streams of East Alabama where it has been declared an endangered species and cannot legally be kept if caught by fishermen. Of typical size for a black bass, M. cataractae reaches a maximum recorded length of 24 inches (61 cm) and a maximum published weight of 8 pounds, 12 ounces.
Only described for the first time in 1999, ichthyologists are still expanding what is known about the species. The shoal bass is often confused with the redeye bass, due to its red-tinted eyes. It is also often confused with the smallmouth bass, due to its faint vertical stripes along the side of its body.
- ^ NatureServe (2014). "Micropterus cataractae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T202562A19034788. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T202562A19034788.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ Williams, J. D., and G. H. Burgess. 1999. A new species of bass, Micropterus cataractae (Teleostei: Centrarchidae), from the Apalachicola River basin in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History 42(2):81–114.