Lepomis punctatus

The spotted sunfish (Lepomis punctatus) is a member of the freshwater sunfish family Centrarchidae and order perciformes. The redbreast sunfish, bluegill and red-spotted sunfish are closely related species. Lepomis punctatus is olive-green to brown in color with black to reddish spots at the base of each scale that form rows of dots on the side. The scientific name punctatus refers to this spotted pattern. It was first described in 1831 by Valenciennes.