Pygmy sunfish

Elassoma is a genus of freshwater fish, the only member of family Elassomatidae in the order Centrarchiformes.<ref name="ECoF">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name = Nelson5>Template:Cite book</ref> The type species is E. zonatum, the banded pygmy sunfish. The Elassomatidae are known collectively as pygmy sunfishes, and are thought to be closely related to the true freshwater sunfishes in Centrarchidae.<ref name="ECoF" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In the past, researchers believed they were related to sticklebacks and pipefishes (order Syngnathiformes) rather than Centrarchiformes, though genetic research strongly implies a close relationship with the centrarchids.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The pygmy sunfishes grow to a maximum overall length of Template:Convert. They occur mostly in temperate and subtropical swamps, marshes, and other shallow, slow-moving, and heavily vegetated waters, across an area of the American South stretching from the Coastal Plain of North Carolina to central Florida, west along the Gulf Coast to eastern Texas, and north up the Mississippi River Valley to southern Illinois. The bluebarred, Carolina, and spring pygmy sunfishes have small localized populations and are considered Vulnerable.

The pygmy sunfishes are too small to be game fish, but are relatively popular as aquarium fish because of the males' iridescent colors and fascinating breeding behaviors. Eggs are laid on or beneath dense vegetation, and the male guards the nest area until the fry hatch and scatter. They adapt well to small aquaria and are relatively adaptable to a range of conditions, but seldom take conventional prepared fish foods, instead requiring small live worms, insects, or crustaceans as food.

Etymology

The generic name Elassoma derives from the Greek ελάσσων (elasson) meaning smaller and σώμα (soma) meaning body, in reference to the fishes' diminutive size compared to the typical sunfishes.

Species

The currently recognized species in this genus are:<ref>{{#invoke:Cite taxon|main|fishbase|genus=|species=|subspecies=}}</ref>

Species	Common name	Image
Elassoma alabamae Mayden, 1993	spring pygmy sunfish	File:Male spring pygmy Sunfish.jpg
Elassoma boehlkei Rohde & R. G. Arndt, 1987	Carolina pygmy sunfish
Elassoma evergladei D. S. Jordan, 1884	Everglades pygmy sunfish	File:Pygmy Sunfish, Elassoma evergladei.jpg
Elassoma gilberti Snelson, Krabbenhoft & Quattro, 2009	Gulf Coast pygmy sunfish	File:Elassoma Gilberti male in breeding colors.jpg
Elassoma okatie Rohde & R. G. Arndt, 1987	bluebarred pygmy sunfish	File:Elassoma okatie.jpg
Elassoma okefenokee J. E. Böhlke, 1956	Okefenokee pygmy sunfish	File:Elassoma okefenokee.jpg
Elassoma zonatum D. S. Jordan, 1877	banded pygmy sunfish	File:Elassoma zonatum 180614264.jpg

See also

• List of fish families

Other sources

• North American Native Fishes Association (NANFA) Elassoma forum Pygmy Sunfishes - NANFA Forum
• Duzen, Bill. "The Pygmy Sunfish." The Native Fish Conservancy Website.