BFHP Bass Articles
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BFHP Bass Articles |
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Identification of Black Basses
by Ralph Manns
Every so often a thread develops in the BFHPs asking how to tell one black bass (Micropterus) species from another. It’s hard to explain the differences without pictures, but here goes. If you have pictures of these species handy, look at them while reading these descriptions.
The basic appearance of each of the major black bass species is different enough so experienced anglers can usually tell by just seeing the basic body shape, markings, and coloration. However, body shapes vary with food supplies and coloration varies with water color, background colors, and lighting. As a result, sometimes the basic appearance isn’t enough to make a sure-fire identification. In such cases, or if you are unfamiliar with each species, refer to the following key features
Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides: When the mouth is shut, the jaw bones ( the big plates on the side of the bass’ mouth) extend behind a line drawn down vertically from the back of the eye. As the jaw bones of all other black bass species extend only as far back as a vertical line passing downward through the center of a bass’ eye, this feature alone is all that is needed to identify Largemouth. But, to be absolutely sure, examine the dorsal (back) fins. In largemouth the spiny-rayed portion and the soft rayed portion meet at the back. The two fins do not merge together above the back. All other black bass species have fins that are not clearly separate.
Other visual features that may or may not be evident are a pattern of darker blotches along the mid-side of the bass and absent of indistinct horizontal lines formed by small dots of color on the belly scales. Usually the belly is white with no distinct horizontal lines.
In recent years, largemouths, particularly those in populations subjected to intense catch-and-release angling, display odd blotching over parts of their bodies and/or fins. These dark, usually black, blotches are apparently not associated with disease or any special sub-species.
Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieui: The shorter jaw, and connected back fins separate this species from largemouth bass, but the unique identifiers of this species are the vertical bars that runs from the upper back across the side and over most of the belly. The soft dorsal fin has 13 to 15 separate rays, more than any other short-jawed bass.
Smallmouth tend to have less white and more grey on their bellies near the pelvic fins than largemouth bass. This grey belly coloration often is shared when smallmouth hybridize with spotted or Guadalupe bass. Most anglers use the barring as identifiers, plus the fact that smallmouth tend to be browner (more olive drab) in overall skin color than other black basses. Coloration is unreliable as an identifier only when it is extremely faded by the habitat. Another visual feature is the fact that smallmouth tend to be stubbier or chunkier than other black basses of similar lengths, but shape is changed by food supply and is not definitive.
Spotted bass Micropterus punctulatus: Many anglers use the presence of a rough patch on a bass’ tongue to identify spotted bass. But, this can be misleading. The other black bass species that are apparently genetic offshoots of the spotted bass precursor species may also have that patch, and largemouths from Mexican stocks have reportedly had tongue-teeth. Forget about tongue-teeth.
Too easily separate spotted bass and the other so-called minor species, the location and stocking history of the water must be referenced to be reasonably sure of species identification without making electrophoretic DNA checks and examinations of internal parts. All have 12 soft rays in their dorsal fin, spiny and rayed dorsal fins that are connected, jawbones that do not pass the line down from the middle of they eye, white bellies, basic blotchy coloration, and usually fairly distinct horizontal lines across their bellies formed by dark spots on individual scales. Some blotches have been reported as short vertical diamond-like bars, but this is inconsistent. Back colors tends to be more olive than Largemouth bass but less brown than smallmouth bass.
Coloration and the shape of blotches are unreliable identifiers, but experienced anglers fishing waters that hold all three primary black bass species usually have no trouble recognizing each species despite wide variations in coloration. When not faded or washed out by dirty water or great depth, spotted bass usually have the darkest and most continuous stripe along their sides. This dark stripe plus lines of belly dots, usually identify spotted bass even when other black bass species are present in the same waters.
The minor Micropterus species: Red eye bass, M. Coosae, Suwannee bass, M. Notius Shoal bass, M. Cataractae, and Guadalupe bass, M. Treculi. All have similar, if not identical, coloration, fin counts, basic shape, and tongue teeth. They are easily confused with or miss-identified as spotted bass and, in many areas they are called spotted bass erroneously.
Accurate identification is only possible through DNA analysis and/or visceral dissection. Anglers should know the boundaries of each species’ territory and trust their fish and game agency and local University professors to identify these bass correctly. They are restricted to particular drainage systems and are found out of their natural ranges only if experimentally moved by wildlife agencies or bait-bucket-stocked by irresponsible individuals.
All but the Guadalupe bass are found in waters of the deep south, principally Alabama, Georgia, and the Florida panhandle. The Guadalupe bass is found in eastern Edwards Plateau west of Austin, Texas. Unfortunate stocking of smallmouth bass has produced hybrids in most public waters of the Blanco, San Marcos, Colorado, Lampasas, Leon, and Brazos Rivers. At the edges of their range, Guadalupe bass share waters with spotted bass, apparently not hybridizing. In these waters, spotted bass tend to have darker and more continuous side markings.
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