I don't know if this is a weird looking largemouth bass or a spotted bass. It was caught in southern Oklahoma. Please help! Thanks.
1 Answer
This looks like a spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus).
Here's an image showing some quick differences between some common bass species:
Using the above photo and this source to guide our judgment we can see your specimen appears to:
Have a jaw that does not go posterior to the eye (as it otherwise would in a largemouth).
Have rows of pigment towards its ventral side (below the "lateral line").
Not have the typical darker horizontal line of scales characteristic of the largemouth bass .
Have smaller-sized cranial scales (those around the eye) characteristic of the spotted bass.
If you can provide additional pictures of the following, I can provide a more definitive ID:
Both dorsal fins -- if the 2 dorsal fins are connected, it would further suggest a spotted bass (as largemouth bass dorsal fins are not typically connected)
Tongue -- evidence of a tooth patch is more likely on the spotted bass.
According to the International Game Fish Association:
Spotted bass can be found throughout the central and lower Mississippi basin to the Gulf of Mexico (from Texas to the Florida panhandle), including Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and other nearby states where it occurs naturally or has been introduced.
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1$\begingroup$ And I remember checking the tongue and it was rough, I just wasn't aware that this lake had spotted bass. Thanks for answering my question this is a new species for me! $\endgroup$ Feb 14, 2017 at 1:17
species identification
question is a must. $\endgroup$