Bass () is a name shared by many species of

fish Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...

. The term encompasses both freshwater and

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military ...

species, all belonging to the large order Perciformes, or

perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Per ...

-like fishes. The word ''bass'' comes from Middle English , meaning 'perch'.

Types

* The black basses, such as the

Choctaw bass The Choctaw bass (''Micropterus sp. cf. punctulatus'') is a provisional new species of black bass Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like whit ...

(''Micropterus haiaka''), Guadalupe bass (''M. treculii''),

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, ...

(''M. salmoides''), smallmouth bass (''M. dolomieu''), and spotted bass (''M. punctulatus''), belong to the sunfish family

Centrarchidae Centrarchidae, better known as sunfishes, is a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes (formerly belonging to the deprecated order Centrarchiformes), native only to North America. There are eight universally ...

. * The temperate basses, such as the

European seabass The European bass (''Dicentrarchus labrax'') is a primarily ocean-going fish native to the waters off Europe's western and southern and Africa's northern coasts, though it can also be found in shallow coastal waters and river mouths during the s ...

(''Dicentrarchus labrax''), striped bass (''Morone saxatilis'') and

white bass The white bass, silver bass, or sand bass (''Morone chrysops'') is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. commonly around 12-15 inches long. The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with white s ...

(''M. chrysops''), belong to the family Moronidae. * The Asian seabasses, such as the Japanese seabass (''Lateolabrax japonicus'') and Blackfin seabass (''L. latus''), belong to the family

Lateolabracidae ''Lateolabrax'' is a genus of commercially important fishes known as the Asian seabasses. It is the only genus in the family Lateolabracidae. This genus is native to the coastal waters of the western Pacific Ocean. This genus has also been in ...

Other species known as bass

Many species are also known as basses, including: * The Australian bass, ''Macquaria novemaculeata'', is a member of the temperate perch family Percichthyidae. * The black sea bass, ''Centropristis striata'', is a member of the sea bass and sea grouper family

Serranidae The Serranidae are a large family of fishes belonging to the order Perciformes. The family contains about 450 species in 65 genera, including the sea basses and the groupers (subfamily Epinephelinae). Although many species are small, in some ca ...

. * The Chilean sea bass, ''Dissostichus eleginoides'', also known as the Patagonian toothfish, is a member of the cod icefish family Nototheniidae. * The giant sea bass ''Stereolepis gigas'', also known as the black sea bass, is a member of the wreckfish family Polyprionidae. * The "lanternbellies" or "temperate ocean-basses", Acropomatidae. * The " butterfly peacock bass", ''Cichla ocellaris'', is a member of the cichlid family,

Cichlidae Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted this ...

and a prized game fish along with its relatives in the genus ''

Cichla Peacock bass or Brazilian tucunaré are large freshwater cichlids of the genus ''Cichla''. These are diurnal predatory fishes native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as rivers of the Guianas, in tropical South America. They are somet ...

''.

Fishing

Largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass are the most popular game fish in North America. It is also very popular in South Africa. In the country, largemouth bass is often found in lakes, rivers, creeks, and dams. When fishing, lures (

Bass worms A bass worm is an artificial fishing lure which comes in a variety of different colors and body types and is usually scented with a salty, garlic residue. Bass worms are more effective than other rubber worms primarily because bass Bass or Basse ...

) or live bait will work. Lures that mimic baitfish, worms, crayfish, frogs, and mice are all effective.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bass (Fish) Fish common names