This very abundant species is excellent for the aquarium if small 

 specimens are kept. It is hardy, tames readily, and scavenges for 

 lost food and bits of algae. Its habit of eating all the aquarium 

 snails is but a slight drawback. However, specimens over 25 mm. 

 long tend to eat the aquarium plants too. 



Great Lakes Longear Sunfish 



(Lepomis megalotis peltastes) 



Appearance. Much like a dwarfed and more brilliantly colored 

 edition of the previous species. The rather variable shade of its 

 upper body is olive with irregular spots of orange and wavy streaks 

 and spots of emerald. The belly is orange and very brilliant in the 

 spring. The cheeks and gill covers are streaked with close, irreg- 

 ular lines of emerald. The flap or ear of the gill cover of the adult 

 fish may project backwards one and one-half times the length of 

 the snout, but in a younger fish may be proportionately shorter. 

 This ear is black but may have a reddish margin behind. The red is 

 very conspicuous in the breeding male, which is also distinguished 

 by having black pelvic fins. 



Size. Adult length rarely as great as 150 mm., usually about 

 100 mm. 



Habitat. The sandy shallows of inland lakes and rivers such as 

 the Huron in the southern peninsula of Michigan and southward. 



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