Smallmouth Black Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) was originally found in the United States from New York to Minnesota and south to Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri. However, this sportfish has been widely introduced elsewhere. Record fish can be up to 27 inches but most examples are much smaller.

Rohde etal in their book on freshwater fishes of the Carolina-Virginia area note this species is found in the western part of their area, but they note this species is not common.

Pflieger in his book on Missouri fishes notes this fish is only found in the southern and eastern portions of the state. He notes this fish is a replacement species for the large mouth bass in the cool permanent streams in the Ozarks. He further notes this bass normally restricts its life to a single pool where it might follow turtles and thus catch crayfish that the turtle might flush.

The Siglers note in their book on Utah fish that there are now several locations in Utah with introduced sustaining populations.

Bass genus (Micropterus) contains two very important freshwater sport fish. Both species have been widely introduced around the world and both originated in eastern North America. The two species are very similar in appearance and are difficult to separate without using subtle differences. The small mouth blackbass (Micropterus dolomieu) has an upper jaw that reaches as far back as the center of the eye when its mouth is closed. The upper dorsal fin is entire with only a shallow lobe in the center. The large mouth blackbass (Micropterus salmoides) has an upper jaw that reaches beyond the eye when the mouth is closed. Although the upper dorsal fin is entire, it gives the appearance of almost being divided into two fins.

All Micropterus species can grow to over 12 inches long. There are seven species in this genus. The largemouth bass, suwannee bass, spotted bass, guadalupe bass, redeye bass, shoal bass, and smallmouth bass all belong here.

Sunfish and Bass group, Family Centrarchidae, is a group of fish that naturally inhabited North America. Because of their great popularity as a sport fish group, many of the species have been introduced worldwide with varying degrees of success. There are about 30 species in this family. The crappies, bluegill, and black bass belong here.

Perch-like Fish, Order Perciformes, are the largest order of fish in both freshwater and shallow saltwater. Most of the conventional fish belong to this order. The bass, bluegills, perch and crappies of freshwater plus the groupers and sea bass of salt water belong to this order. The fish all have spiny rays in their fins and the tail fin has seventeen rays. There are approximately 150 families. Herein, we have placed the families in alphabetical sequence within this order. (In some instances the typical taxonomic sequence of families is not much help. Consider, for example, that the barracudas are usually placed between the mullets and the threadfins.)

Bony fish, Class Teleostomi, are a class of chordates that include the majority of fish-like animals found on earth. They are characterized by a bony jaw and a bony skeleton. They are found in both fresh and marine waters.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

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