The banded sunfish is a freshwater

Freshwater

Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...

 fish

Fish

Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...

 of the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

, Centrarchidae

Centrarchidae

The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...

. They can grow as an adult to become 2-3 inches long.

Description

The banded sunfish is similar to the blackbanded sunfish and has a very compressed and deep body. Its sides are iridescent and dark colored. There are dark bands on its side and nuptial males and females will develop blue specks on their bodies. Its mouth is upturned and its pectoral and tail fins are rounded. It will grow to an approximate length of 9.5 cm.

Habitat

The banded sunfish can be found in the Atlantic coastal region from New Hampshire south to central Florida. It is found in small ponds and backwaters of creeks to small and large rivers and boggy brooks over sand or mud in sluggish, acidic, heavily vegetated waters.

Reproduction

Spawning occurs from April through July. They can spawn when they become one year old. The male will construct a sand or gravel nest for the eggs to be laid in.

Status

The banded sunfish is currently endangered in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire & Connecticut. It is globally stable though.