Micropterus cataractae Williams & Burgess, 1999
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 shoal bass (Micropterus cataractae) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Centrarchiformes. One of the black basses, it is native to waters in Florida and Georgia. 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.
Wikipedia contributors, Shoal bass; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:12:42.866628+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Micropterus cataractae Williams & Burgess, 1999
- Name authority
- Williams & Burgess, 1999
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Centrarchiformes
- Family
- Centrarchidae
- Genus
- Micropterus
- 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
- genusMicropterus Lacepède, 1802
- speciesMicropterus cataractae Williams & Burgess, 1999
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Micropterus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Micropterus cahabae Baker, Johnston & Blanton, 2013 | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Micropterus chattahoochae Baker, Johnston & Blanton, 2013 | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Micropterus treculii (Vaillant & Bocourt, 1874) | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Micropterus warriorensis Baker, Johnston & Blanton, 2013 | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Micropterus notius Bailey & Hubbs, 1949 | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Micropterus calliurus Freeman & Freeman, 2025 | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Micropterus coosae Hubbs & Bailey, 1940 | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| smallmouth bassMicropterus dolomieu Lacepède, 1802 | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Micropterus floridanus (Lesueur, 1822) | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Micropterus henshalli Hubbs & Bailey, 1940 | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Micropterus punctulatus (Rafinesque, 1819) | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| large-mouth bassMicropterus salmoides (Lacepède, 1802) | CentrarchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
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.
- Williams, J. D., & Burgess, G. H. (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): 80–114. https://doi.org/10.58782/flmnh.afti4206 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:43535. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.