Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Subdivisio: Percomorphaceae
Series: Eupercaria
Ordo: Centrarchiformes
Subordo: Centrarchoidei
Familia: Centrarchidae
Genus: Pomoxis
Species: P. annularis - P. nigromaculatus
Name
Pomoxis Rafinesque, 1818
References
Pomoxis – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Vernacular names
English: Crappie, Calico Bass
Crappies (/ˈkrɒpi, ˈkræpi/)[3][4] are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus Pomoxis in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers.
Etymology
The genus name Pomoxis literally means "sharp cover", referring to the fish's spiny gill covers (opercular bones).[5] It is composed of the Greek poma (πῶμα, cover) and oxys (ὀξύς, "sharp").[6]
The common name (also spelled croppie[7] or crappé[8]) derives from the Canadian French crapet, which refers to many different fishes of the sunfish family. Other names for crappie are papermouths, strawberry bass, speckled bass or specks (especially in Michigan), speckled perch, white perch,[9] crappie bass, calico bass (throughout the Middle Atlantic states and New England),[10] and Oswego bass.[11]
In Louisiana, it is called sacalait[12] (Cajun French: sac-à-lait, lit. 'milk bag'),[13] seemingly an allusion to its milky white flesh or silvery skin.[14][15] The supposed French meaning is, however, folk etymology, because the word is ultimately from Choctaw sakli, meaning "trout".[12]
Species
The currently recognized species in this genus are:[16]
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
P. annularis Rafinesque, 1818 | White crappie | Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and the Mississippi River basins expanding from New York and southern Ontario westward to South Dakota and southward to Texas. |
 |
P. nigromaculatus (Lesueur, 1829) | Black crappie | eastern United States and Canada |
Biology
Both species of crappie as adults feed predominantly on smaller fish species, including the young of their own predators (which include the northern pike, muskellunge, and walleye). They have diverse diets, however, including zooplankton, insects, and crustaceans.[17][18] Larval crappies rely on crustacean zooplankton as a food source. The availability of zooplankton can have an effect on larval populations.[19] By day, crappie tend to be less active and concentrate around weed beds or submerged objects, such as logs and boulders. They feed during dawn and dusk, by moving into open water or approaching the shore.[20][21]
Hybrid crappie (Pomoxis annularis × nigromaculatus) have been cultured and occur naturally.[22] The crossing of a black crappie female and white crappie male has better survival and growth rates among offspring than the reciprocal cross does.[22] Hybrid crappie are difficult to distinguish from black crappie by appearance alone. Fingerling yields are variable in culture.[22] The hybrid offspring are fertile, black crappie female and white crappie male crosses more so than the reciprocal.[22]
Fishing
A black crappie (P. nigromaculatus)
The Pomoxis species are highly regarded panfish and are often considered to be among the best-tasting freshwater food fish. Because of their diverse diets, crappie may be caught in many ways, including casting light jigs, trolling with minnows or soft lures, using small spinnerbaits, or using bobbers with common hookbaits. Crappies are also popular with ice anglers, as they are active in winter.[20][21][23]
Angling
Fly fishing
targets
bluefish
brook trout
crappie
hucho taimen
largemouth bass
northern pike
peacock bass
shoal bass
smallmouth bass
other sport fish...
See also
fishing
Index of fishing articles
vte
Angling for crappie is popular throughout much of North America. Methods vary, but among the most popular is called "spider rigging", a method characterized by a fisherman in a boat with many long fishing rods pointing away from the angler at various angles like spokes from a wheel[24] (spider rigging is not permitted on some waters. In Minnesota, for example, a fisherman may use only one rod during the open water season). Anglers who employ the spider rigging method may choose from among many popular baits, some of the most popular are plastic jigs with lead jigheads, crankbaits or live minnows.[25] Many anglers also chum or dump live groundbait into the water to attract the fish to bite their bait. Crappies are also regularly targeted and caught during the spawning period by fly fishermen, and can be taken from frozen ponds and lakes in winter by ice fishing.[citation needed]
Conservation
In 2023, apparel company Crappie Forever announced a promotion in which it would award prizes to those catching and releasing tagged crappie in certain Mississippi lakes, in order to further crappie conservation and enthusiasm for tournament fishing.[26]
Commercial fishing
Before state fisheries departments began to implement more restrictive, conservation-minded regulations, a great number of crappies, especially in the Mississippi River states, were harvested commercially in the 19th and early 20th centuries. At one point, the annual crappie catch sold at fish markets in the United States was reported to be about 3 million pounds (1,400 t).[27]
A commercial fishery for crappies existed at Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee until 2003. It was one of the few commercial fisheries for crappies in recent decades.[28][29]
Fishing records
According to the International Game Fish Association, the current all-tackle world records are:[30][31]
Black crappie: 2.47 kg (5 lb 7 oz), caught by Lionel "Jam" Ferguson at Richeison Pond in Tennessee on 15 May 2018[32]
White crappie: 2.35 kg (5 lb 3 oz), caught by Fred Brigh at Enid Dam, Mississippi on 31 July 1957[32]
References
Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Pomoxis". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Centrarchidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
"Crappie". American Heritage Dictionary (4th ed.). Archived from the original on 26 September 2005. Retrieved 29 June 2006.
"Crappie". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved 29 June 2006.
Ross, Stephen T.; Brenneman, William Max (2001). The Inland Fishes of Mississippi. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 436. ISBN 978-1-57806-246-1. "Pomoxis: sharp opercle, in reference to the opercle bone ending in two spines"
Wallus, Robert; Simon, Thomas P. (2008). Reproductive Biology and Early Life History of Fishes in the Ohio River Drainage. Vol. 6. CRC. p. 355. ISBN 978-1-4200-0361-1. "Pomoxis, Greek: poma, "lid, cover" and oxys, "sharp", alluding to the opercles ending in two flat points instead of an ear flap"
"croppie". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.: "variant of crappie"
Murray, James Augustus Henry; et al. (1893). A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles. Clarendon Press. p. 1141. "Crappie. U.S. Also crappé, croppie. A species of sunfish, Pomoxys annularis"
"Louisiana Fisheries – Fact Sheets". seagrantfish.lsu.edu. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
"Massachusetts Wildlife" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
Schultz, Ken. Ken Schultz's Field Guide to Freshwater Fish. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.
"sacalait". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. "Louisiana French sac-à-lait, by folk etymology (influence of French sac bag, French à to, for, and French lait milk) from Choctaw sakli trout "
Smith, Hugh M. (1904). "Common Names of the Basses and Sun-fishes". Report of the Commissioner. Gov't Printing Office: 357. "The euphonious French name sac-à-lait (bag of milk), which is heard in the lower Mississippi Valley and now apparently is applied to other centrarchids, as well as to P. annularis, to which it was originally given, has been corrupted to "suckley perch" in Louisiana near New Orleans."
Bulletin. Louisiana Dept. of Conservation. 1917. p. 9. "When properly cooked the white, flaky, juicy flesh (sac-à-lait means a "bag of milk" therefore our French-speaking population has most appropriately named this fish) has an exceptionally fine and delicate flavor."
Louisiana Conservation Review. Vol. 9–10. 1940. p. 31. "believed to have received its name sac à lait, m., "milk bag" because of the silvery olive appearance of the fish, or because of its extraordinarily white flesh. Read's further investigations, however, revealed that the Choctaw Indian sakli, "trout""
Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). Species of Pomoxis in FishBase. February 2013 version.
Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2006). "Pomoxis annularis" in FishBase. March 2006 version.
Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2006). "Pomoxis nigromaculatus" in FishBase. March 2006 version.
Michaletz, P.H; Obrecht, D.V; Jones, J.R (2012). "Influence of Environmental Variables and Species Interactions on Sport Fish Communities in Small Missouri Impoundments". North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 32 (6): 1146–1159. Bibcode:2012NAJFM..32.1146M. doi:10.1080/02755947.2012.728173.
"Comprehensive Report Species – Pomoxis annularis". NatureServe Explorer. Archived from the original on 16 December 2006. Retrieved 29 June 2006.
"Comprehensive Report Species – Pomoxis nigromaculatus". NatureServe Explorer. Archived from the original on 14 September 2005. Retrieved 29 June 2006.
Kelly, Anita M.; Baumhoer, Brandon (June 2014). "Species Profile: Hybrid Crappie" (PDF). Southern Regional Aquaculture Center. SRAC Publication No. 7212. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
"Black Crappie". Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department. Archived from the original on 27 July 2006. Retrieved 29 June 2006.
"Super Crappie Systems". In-Fisherman. Archived from the original on 22 December 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
"Crappie Fishing". Educational Fishing Information for Crappie. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
"Fishing: Catch a tagged crappie in Mississippi and it could be worth cash or prizes". Clarion Ledger. 4 June 2023.
"Fisheries." The New International Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. New York: Dodd, Mead and Co., 1930.
"Commercial Crappie Fishing Stopped". Reelfoot Outdoors. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022.
"Change in Reelfoot crappie population has brought ban on commercial fishing". Kentucky New Era. 23 June 2001. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022.
"Crappie, black". International Game Fish Association. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
"Crappie, white". International Game Fish Association. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
"Looking at the World Record Crappie (White And Black)". Premier Angler. 28 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
Further reading
Ellis, Jack (1993). The Sunfishes-A Fly Fishing Journey of Discovery. Bennington, VT: Abenaki Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-936644-17-6.
Rice, F. Philip (1964). America's Favorite Fishing: A Complete Guide to Angling for Panfish. New York: Harper Row.
Rice, F. Philip (1984). Panfishing. New York: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-943822-25-4.
Malo, John (1981). Fly-Fishing for Panfish. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Dillon Press Inc. ISBN 0-87518-208-9.
Nelson, Gary; Martin, Richard; Sutton, Keith (1991). Panfishing. Minneapolis, MN: North American Fishing Club. ISBN 0-914697-37-4.
The central stoneroller, or Ohio stoneroller[2] (Campostoma anomalum), is a fish in the family Cyprinidae endemic to North America.
Biology
Stonerollers have a rounded snout overhanging a crescent-shaped mouth, a hard ridge of cartilage on the lower lip, and irregular patches of dark colored scales on the sides of the body. Breeding males have orange colored fins with a black band on the dorsal fin and often on the anal fin; breeding tubercles (keratinized growths) also cover the head, back, and sides of the body.[4]
Distribution
The central stoneroller is widespread in freshwater streams throughout a large portion of the eastern, central, and midwestern United States. It is present in the Atlantic Ocean, Great Lakes, Mississippi River, and Hudson Bay basins in the US, from New York west to North Dakota and Wyoming and south to South Carolina and Texas.[2] Isolated populations are also found in Canada and Mexico.[5] The central stoneroller is benthopelagic, inhabiting either the midwaters or bottom of freshwater streams and rivers. It requires some current and is most commonly found in riffles and pools of moderate to high gradient streams with a gravel substrate bottom. However, it is a very tolerant species and can be found in almost any stream system with adequate food, leading to its widespread distribution.[6]
Ecology
The central stoneroller is generally herbivorous, feeding primarily on algae scraped from rocks and logs with the cartilaginous ridge on its lower jaw. Young fish feed on rotifers, filamentous algae, and microcrustacea. It also feeds on detritus, diatoms, and occasionally aquatic insects. It is classified as a grazing minnow in its feeding behavior, and large schools of these fish often feed together. Central stonerollers may consume up to 27 percent of their body weight in benthic algae per day. One Kansas study found that algae contributed most (47 percent) to the diet of central stonerollers, followed by detritus (30 percent), animal matter (21 percent), and terrestrial vegetation (2 percent).[7] Some human-induced factors that reduce the abundance of the central stoneroller are altered flow regimens, habitat fragmentation, impacts to aquatic and riparian habitat associated with agricultural practices, and increased siltation and aquatic vegetation.[citation needed]
Life history
Central stonerollers reach maturity in one to four years. Breeding males begin building nests in late winter and continue throughout midsummer, creating large, bowl-shaped depressions in calmer waters by rolling stones along the bottom with their noses, giving them their common name. The males aggressively defend their nests against rival males. Spawning occurs in early spring and summer, varying by region, with those fish in warmer climates generally spawning earlier than those in colder climates. Females remain in deeper water outside the nesting site, entering only briefly to produce anywhere between 200 and 4800 eggs in a nest.[8] The male fertilizes the eggs, causing them to become adhesive and lodge in the gravel of the nest, preventing them from being carried away by the currents. The eggs are then abandoned by both parents and hatch within a few days.[9] The newly hatched fish school together to feed in the warmer and more protected backwaters and vegetated stream margins. This species is generally found in small, clear streams with gravel, rubble, or exposed bedrock. Often the most abundant species in small streams, schools may contain several hundred individuals. Central stonerollers also display some intolerance to heavy siltation or pollutants, which affect the quantity of available algae in pool and riffle habitats.[10]
Subspecies
C. a. anomalum - nominate subspecies
C. a. kanawhanum
C. a. michauxi - Endemic to South Carolina
C. a. plumbeum
C. a. roanokense - James and Roanoke Rivers of Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina
Management
The central stoneroller is widely distributed, so is not being threatened to a large extent, nor is it listed on any federal or state conservation lists.[citation needed] The central stoneroller is listed as "least concern" on the IUCN Red list since 2013.[1]
References
NatureServe, Lyons, T.J.; Lambarri Martínez, C.; Espinosa Pérez, H. (2019). "Campostoma anomalum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T191256A130204306. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T191256A130204306.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
"Campostoma anomalum". NatureServe Explorer An online encyclopedia of life. 7.1. NatureServe. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
Etnier, David A.; Starnes, W. (1993). The Fishes of Tennessee (PDF). Knoxville, Tennessee: The University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 0-87049-711-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
"Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Central Stoneroller (Female)". fw.ky.gov. Archived from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
Cashner, R.C.; Matthews, W.J.; Marsh-Matthews, E.; Unmack, P.J.; Cashner, F.M. (2010). "Recognition and Redescription of Distinctive Stonerollers from the Southern Interior Highlands" (PDF). Copeia. 2010 (2): 300–311. doi:10.1643/CI-08-051. S2CID 84117392. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 17, 2014.
Burger, J.; Campbell, K.R.; Campbell, T.S.; Shulia, T.; Dixon, C.; Gochfield, M. (2005). "Use of central stonerollers (Cyprinidae:Campostoma anomalum) from Tennessee as a bioindicator of metal contamination". Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 110 (1–3): 171–184. doi:10.1007/s10661-005-6689-8. PMID 16308785. S2CID 25064449.
Bisping, S.M.; Fischer, J.R.; Quist, M.C.; Schaffer, A.J. (2010). "Population Characteristics of Central Stonerollers in Iowa Streams" (PDF). The Prairie Naturalist. 42: 109–115. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 17, 2014.
Baxter, G.T. 1955. A study of the fish population in Lodgepole Creek, Laramie County, Wyoming. J. Colo.-Wyo. Acad. Sci. IV (7):61.
Reisinger, A.J.; Presuma, D.L.; Gido, K.B.; Dodds, W.K. (2011). "Direct and indirect effects of central stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum) on mesocosm recovery following a flood: Can macroconsumers affect denitrification?" (PDF). Journal of the North American Benthological Society. 30 (3): 840–852. doi:10.1899/10-169.1. hdl:2097/12217. S2CID 32204780.
Ratocinski, Chester F. (1980). "Hybridization and introgression between Campostoma oligolepis and Campostoma anomalum pullum (Cypriniformes) Cyprinidae". Copeia. 1980 (4): 584–594. doi:10.2307/1444433. JSTOR 1444433.
Evans-White, M. A., W. K. Dodds, and M. R. Whiles.
2003. Ecosystem significance of crayfishes and stonerollers in a prairie stream: functional differences between co-occurring ominivores. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 22:423–441.
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