FISHES OF CHESAPEAKE BAY 
243 
taken, but published accounts give the color as nearly uniform olive green; several of the stripes 
present on the head in the young persist in the adult. 
Five small specimens of this bass, ranging in length from 65 to 100 millimeters (2)4 to 4 inches), 
were secured in slightly brackish water, and they form the basis for the foregoing description. 
This species differs from the large-mouthed black bass principally in the smaller mouth, slightly 
smaller scales on body, the much smaller scales on cheeks, and in the more uniform color. 
The food of the adult smallmouth bass, according to published accounts, consists mainly of 
fish and crawfish. Three small specimens, taken in slightly brackish water, had fed on isopods, 
insects, and fish. Spawning takes place during the spring. The species is cultivated through 
pond-cultural methods, as it does not lend itself well to stripping. In this species, as in others of 
this family, the male builds a nest, in which the female deposits the eggs, which are fertilized 
when laid. The male then stands guard over the nest, fanning the eggs with its fins and fighting 
off intruders. 
This species generally lives in higher altitudes than the large-mouthed species, preferring 
cooler and swifter water. It is not a native of the Chesapeake, having reached that vicinity 
through artificial means. Its occurrence in still, brackish water seems quite unusual. 
The maximum weight recorded for this fish is 6 pounds. It is an important game fish in 
many sections, taking live minnows and other live bait, and it also rises to the artificial fly. It 
is only a straggler in the brackish waters of the Chesapeake, where it is of no importance either 
as> food or a game fish. 
Habitat . — Vermont to the Great Lakes and Manitoba; southward to South Carolina, Missis- 
sippi, and Arkansas. (Its range has been considerably extended by artificial means beyond its 
natural habitat as given here.) 
Chesapeake localities. — (a) Previous records: None from brackish water. (6) Specimens in 
collection: Havre de Grace and Love Point, Md. Highest salinity, Love Point, May 11, 1922, 
7.39 per mille. 
132. Micropterus salmoides (Lac6p&de). Largemouth black bass; Black bass; “Chub;” “Trout.” 
Labrus salmoides LacfipSde, Hist. Nat. Poiss., IV, 1803, p. 716; South Carolina. 
Micropterus salmoides Uhler and Lugger, 1876, ed. I, p. 129; ed. II, p. Ill; Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 1012, PI. 
CLXIII, fig. 431; Smith and Bean, 1899, p. 186; Evermann and Hildebrand, 1910, p. 161. 
Head 2.8 to 3.05; depth 2.95 to 3.3; D. X, 12 or 13; A. Ill, 11; scales 7 or 8-61 to 64. Body 
elongate, compressed; head rather long and low; snout pointed, 3.55 to 3.85; eye 4.15 to 5; inter- 
orbital 4.1 to 4.45; mouth large, slightly oblique; lower jaw projecting; maxillary reaching to or 
a little beyond posterior margin of eye, 2 to 2.15 in head; gill rakers rather short, about seven 
more or less developed on lower limb of first arch; scales moderate, firm, rather weakly ctenoid 
scales on cheeks nearly as large as on body; lateral line complete, slightly arched anteriorly; dor- 
sal fin long and rather low, deeply notched, the spinous part lower than the soft portion; caudal 
fin emarginate; anal fin preceded by three rather short, graduated spines, the soft part similar to 
that of the dorsal and coterminal with it; ventral fins short, failing to reach vent, inserted slightly 
behind base of pectorals; pectoral fins short, round, 2.15 to 2.3 in head. 
Color dull green above, with brassy luster; sides silvery; abdomen white; three dark bars on 
sides of head back of and below eye; sides with a dark lateral band, usually more distinct in the 
young than in the adult, sometimes broken up into blotches and indistinct or occasionally want- 
ing, sides usually also with irregularly placed dark blotches; dorsal fin slightly spotted, the caudal 
distally dusky with pale margin; fins otherwise plain. 
This bass is represented by numerous specimens, ranging from 90 to 323 millimeters (3)4 to 
12)4 inches) in length, which were taken in brackish water. This fish has a larger mouth than its 
congener, larger scales, particularly on the cheeks, and usually it has a dark lateral band, which 
also distinguishes it from the related species. 
The food of the largemouth black bass in fresh water is reported to consist mainly of fish and 
crustaceans. The contents of 22 stomachs taken from specimens caught in brackish water of the 
Chesapeake consisted exclusively of fish remains. This fish is highly predatory, and where it is 
common the destruction of minows and smaller fish is great. What has been said relative to the 
spawning habits and artificial culture of the smallmouth black bass applies equally as well to the 
present species. 
(a S 
