Lepomis megalotis (Rafinesque, 1820)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis) is a freshwater fish in the sunfish family, Centrarchidae, of order Centrarchiformes. It is native to the area of eastern North America stretching from the Great Lakes down to northeastern Mexico. The longear sunfish reaches a maximum recorded length of about 24 cm (9.4 in), with a maximum recorded weight of 790 g (1.74 lb). Most do not live beyond six years. The longear sunfish is quite colorful, with an olive to rusty-brown back, bright orange belly and vermiculate blue-green bars on the sides of its head, the latter two features most pronounced in breeding males. A unique characteristic of longear sunfish is their elongated operculum flap, giving an appearance of a "long ear". It is black and often has a white margin. The pectoral fin is relatively short and would not reach the snout if it were reflected anteriorly.
Wikipedia contributors, Longear sunfish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:01:30.618485+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Lepomis megalotis (Rafinesque, 1820)
- Name authority
- (Rafinesque, 1820)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Centrarchiformes
- Family
- Centrarchidae
- Genus
- Lepomis
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCentrarchiformes
- familyCentrarchidae Bleeker, 1859
- genusLepomis Rafinesque, 1819
- speciesLepomis megalotis (Rafinesque, 1820)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Lepomis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| redbreast sunfishLepomis auritus (Linnaeus, 1758) | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lepomis gulosus (Cuvier, 1829) | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lepomis miniatus (Jordan, 1877) | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lepomis punctatus (Valenciennes, 1831) | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lepomis symmetricus Forbes, 1883 | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lepomis lirus McKay, 1881 | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Green SunfishLepomis cyanellus Rafinesque, 1819 | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| pumpkinseedLepomis gibbosus (Linnaeus, 1758) | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lepomis humilis (Girard, 1858) | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| BluegillLepomis macrochirus Rafinesque, 1819 | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lepomis marginatus (Holbrook, 1855) | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lepomis microlophus (Günther, 1859) | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Icthelis megalotis Rafinesque, 1820 Rafinesque, 1820 | synonym |
| Xenotis megalotis (Rafinesque, 1820) (Rafinesque, 1820) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1042658 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3TG2M. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.