Description
Until October 1999, this species was variously considered to be a redeye bass or subspecies of the redeye bass. James Williams and George Burgess published the official description of the new species in Volume 42, No. 2 of the "Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History," which was printed on October 8, 1999.
The red color of eyes associates this species with the redeye and Suwannee bass at first glance. However, it is more closely related to the spotted bass morphologically. Shoal bass generally are olive green to nearly black along the back. A dusky dark blotch about 50-67 percent of the size of the eye occurs on the back edge of the gill cover. Three diagonal black lines radiate along the side of the head looking like war paint. 10-15 vertical blotches appear along the sides with tiger-stripes often appearing in between.
The belly is creamy or white and wavy lines may appear slightly above the white belly on the sides. The dorsal, caudal and anal fins are dark olive green to grayish black. Pelvic fins may have a cream colored leading edge with dark spots.
The shoal bass has scales on the base portion of the soft-rayed dorsal fins, clearly connected first and second dorsal fins, and an upper jaw bone that does not extend beyond the eyes.
Subspecies - No known subspecies. Until October 1999 this species was considered to have been a subspecies of the redeye bass.
Shoal bass are now a species of special concern in Florida and Georgia. Good fishing still exists in Georgia's Flint River, but anglers are encouraged to catch and release. Conversely, anglers are urged to keep all spotted bass caught on the Flint River because of its competition with and potential for hybridizing with the shoal bass.
Read more about this topic: Shoal Bass
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