A large Bluespotted Sunfish captured during a DWR sampling event.
A Bluespotted Sunfish holding in an observation tank.
Fact File
Scientific Name: Enneacanthus gloriosus
Classification: Fish, Order Perciformes, Family Centrarchidae
Size: Bluespotted Sunfish rarely exceed 3 inches in length within Virginia waters
Life Span: Bluespotted Sunfish live for about 4 years in Virginia
Identifying Characteristics
A large adult Bluespotted Sunfish captured during a DWR survey. ©Photo by Maddie Cogar
- Body shape is moderately deep, laterally compressed
- Rounded caudal fin
- A black bar extends vertically through the eye
- Numerous iridescent blue to green spots throughout the body and fins
- Vertical bars may be present along the body in some specimens
Diet
Bluespotted Sunfish are omnivorous feeders, consuming a variety of aquatic plants and macroinvertebrates.
Distribution:
The Bluespotted Sunfish is native in most of Virginia’s freshwaters east of the Blue Ridge.
Habitat
A low-gradient coastal plain system with habitat features that support Bluespotted Sunfish.
Bluespotted Sunfish inhabit areas with dense submerged aquatic vegetation. They can thrive in the backwaters of Virginia’s large brackish tidal rivers, lower gradient piedmont streams, as well as the swamps and ponds that dot the landscape of the coastal plain region. Bluespotted Sunfish, like other Enneacanthus species, do well in acidic waters that have minimal levels of dissolved oxygen.
Reproduction
Bluespotted Sunfish begin to spawn in late spring and throughout the summer within Virginia. Reproduction occurs in backwater areas that are heavily vegetated, with little or no flow. Bluespotted Sunfish do not build nests, but disperse adhesive eggs onto submerged vegetation or detritus.
Sources
VAFWIS. 2024. VAFWIS BOVA Report : Bluespotted Sunfish. All Chapters (virginia.gov)
Last updated: August 14, 2024
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