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Redbreast sunfish
Lepomis auritus
Photo credit: Karsten
Hartel
Habitat requirements and life history:
Other common names for this fish include: redbelly, robin,
yellowbelly sunfish, bream, river bream, sun perch and redbreast
bream. The redbreast sunfish is a native sunfish that prefers
clear, slowly-flowing water. It tends to be more of a river
species than other sunfish. They feed primarily on insects,
but will also eat crustaceans, fish eggs, very small fish
and aquatic vegetation. Like all sunfish, redbreast sunfish
breed in the spring in shallow, saucer-shaped nests scooped
out by the males. Redbreast sunfish build nests likes bluegills,
but the nests are in smaller groups and located farther apart.
The nest is usually near shelter, such as stumps and logs,
and is often one abandoned by other sunfishes. The females
lay their eggs in the nests, but after the males fertilize
the eggs, the males drive off the females and fan the eggs
with their tails until the eggs hatch. The males will stay
to protect the young until they can fend for themselves. (Sources:
Massachusetts Wildlife, No. 2, 2000, Special Fishing Issue,
AMC Guide to Freshwater Fishing in New England, and Freshwater
Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, & Delaware)
Total length:
4 - 8 inches
Pollution tolerance (US EPA): Intermediate
tolerance
Classification:
Macrohabitat generalist
Number of fish found during 1954 & 2001
Fish Surveys*
| Location |
No. of Fish 1954 |
No. of Fish 2001 |
| Assabet River |
|
88 |
| Nashoba Brook |
32 |
|
| Total |
32 |
88 |
*Sources:
Schlotterbeck, L.C. and W.A. Tompkins, 1954. "A Fisheries
Investigation of the Merrimack and Ipswich River Drainages."
Bureau of Wildlife Research and Management, Massachusetts Division
of Fisheries and Game.
DFW, 2001. Assabet Watershed Fish Survey. MA Department of Fisheries
and Wildlife, Westborough, MA.
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