Carolina Pygmy Sunfish

Elassoma boehlkei

Elassomatidae · freshwater water fish

2 minute read · Species guide

Carolina Pygmy Sunfish field guide illustration

About Carolina Pygmy Sunfish

The Carolina pygmy sunfish, Elassoma boehlkei, is a species of pygmy sunfish endemic to the United States, where it is only known from the Waccamaw and Santee River drainages in the Carolinas. This species prefers waters with dense vegetation. It can reach 3.3 cm (1.3 in) in total length, though most do not exceed 2 cm (0.79 in). This species can also be found in the aquarium trade.

Diet and feeding

The FishTraits compilation records these diet categories for this species: invertebrates or larval fish. These are broad categories, not a claim that every individual consumes every example in a category.

Reported feeding positions include bottom feeding. The compilation combines published observations; diets can vary with age, locality, and available food.

Habitat preferences

Reported habitat associations include creeks.

The source records associations with muck, clay or silt, vegetation. An association indicates reported use, rather than an exclusive requirement.

Reproduction and parental care

The compilation reports a representative maturity age of 1 years. Its maturity field summarizes mean, median, or modal estimates, usually for females; male estimates can be used when female data are unavailable. It is not a fixed age at which every fish first breeds.

Recorded spawning months are Mar, Apr for the source’s reporting region (SC). This is a regional calendar, not a range-wide schedule.

The reproductive-guild classification includes guarding eggs or young at a spawning substrate or nest.

Size and recorded longevity

FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 3.3 centimetres. Some entries use an estimated asymptotic length; this value should not be treated as a certified record catch.

Recorded longevity in the compilation is 1.5 years. Wild observations were preferred, but captive records were accepted where wild records were unavailable, and unspecified records were assumed wild. The value is not a guaranteed wild lifespan or an aquarium life expectancy.

Range

Where it lives

Share of 82 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 3 states.
0%
87.8%
Share of 82 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 3 states.

Habitat

Water and movement

Water
WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Migration
Not migratory

Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Superclass
Actinopterygii
Class
Teleostei
Order
Perciformes
Genus
Elassoma
Species
Elassoma boehlkei
ITIS TSN
168172
WoRMS AphiaID
1011681
GBIF key
2380533

Common questions about Carolina Pygmy Sunfish

What is the scientific name of Carolina Pygmy Sunfish?
The scientific name is Elassoma boehlkei, in the family Elassomatidae. Classification follows ITIS.
Does Carolina Pygmy Sunfish live in fresh water or salt water?
WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Where has Carolina Pygmy Sunfish been recorded in the United States?
GBIF has observations in 3 states, with the most records in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Closest relatives

Other Elassoma species

Same family

More Elassomatidae