Bulletin ILLINOIS raitura.1 History Sur^vey BULLETIN The Bantam Sunfish^ Lepom/s symmetncus: Systematics and Distribution^ and Life History in Wolf Lake. Illinois oks M. Burr 'E OF ILLINOIS ARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION TURAL HISTORY SURVEY DIVISION BANA, ILLINOIS ._ mm. warn WKi OCT 6 1977 VOLUME 31. ARTICLE 10 SEPTEMBER, 1977 The Bantam Sunfish^ Lepomis symmetricus: Systematics and Distribution, and Life History in Wolf Lake. Illinois f Sfofoks M. Burr E OF ILLINOIS wARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION N/TURAL HISTORY SURVEY DIVISION U»ANA, ILLINOIS VOLUME 31, ARTICLE 10 SEPTEMBER, 1977 STATE OP ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OP REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION BOARD OP NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION Joan G. Andeeson, B.S. Chairman; Thomas Park, Ph.D., Biology. L, L. Sloss, Ph.D., Geology; H. S. GUTOWSKY, Ph.D., Chemistry; Robbrt H. Ander.son, B.S.C.E., Engineering; Stanley K. Shapiro, Ph.D., Forestry; W. L. EvERlTT, E.E., Ph.D., Represe'iling the President of the University of Illinois; John C. Guyon, Ph.D., Representing the President of Southern Illinois University. NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY DIVISION, Urbana, Illinois SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL STAFF George Speugel, Jr., Ph.D., Chief Alice K. Adams, Secretary to the Chief Section of Economic Entomology William H. Lcckmann, Ph.D., Entomologist and Bend James E. Appleby, Ph.D., Entomologist Marcos Kogan, Ph.D., Entomologist Ronald H. Meyer, Ph.D., Entomologist Stevenson Moore, III, Ph.D., Entomologist, Ex- tension Edward J. Armbrust, Ph.D., Associate Entomolo- gist Joseph V. Maddox, Ph.D., Associate Entoti Robert D. Pausch, Ph.D., Associate Entov Ralph E. Sechriest, Ph.D., Associate Entomolo- gist John K. Bouseman, M.S., Assistant Entomologist Charles D. Bremer, M.S., Assistant Entomologist. Extension Michael E. Irwin, Ph.D., Assistant Entomologist Donald E. Kuhlman, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Extension ROSCOE Randell, Ph.D., A.'isociate Professor, Ex- tension William G. Ruesink, Ph.D.. Assistant Entomolo- gist Douglas K. Sell, Pli.D., Assistant Entomologist John L. Wedberg, Ph.D., Assistant Entomologist, Extension Clarence E. White, B.S., Assistant Entomologist Kevin D. Black, M.S., Assistant Specialist, Exten- David a. Gentry, M.S., Assistant Specialist, Ex- tension Steven Troester, M.E., .-issistant Systems Engineer Jean G. Wilson, B.A., Supervisory Assistant Catherine Eastman, Ph.D., Assistant Professional Scientist John T. Shaw, B.S., Assistant Professional Scientist Daniel Sherrod, M.S., Assistant Professional Scientist Lester Wei, Ph.D., Assistant Professional Scientist Charles G. Helm, M.S., Junior Professional Sci- entist Linda Isenhoweb, Junior Professional Scientist Stephen Roberts, B.S., Junior Professional Sci- entist Li-Chun Chio. Ph.D., Research Assistant Elizabeth Allison, B.S., Research Assistant Margaret Anderson, B.S., Research Assistant Robert J. Barney, B.S., Research Assistant Tzu-SuAN Chu, M.S., Research Assistant Marion Farris, M.S., Research Assistant Janet Harrv, B.S., Research Assistant Bonnie Irwin, M.S., Research Assistant Louis Jackai, M.S., Research Assistant Jenny Kogan, M.S., Research Assistant Patricia Mackey, B.S., Research Assistant Brian Melin, B.S., Research Assistant Mary Milbrath, M.S., Research Assistant Judy Mollett, B.S., Research Assistant Lynn Pautler, B.S., Research Assistant Celia Shih. M.S., Research Assistant Barbara Stancer, B.S.. Research Assistant Lee Anne Turner, M.S., Research Assistant Jo Ann Auble, Technical Assistant Charlotte Johnson, B.S., Technical Assistant Section of Botany and Plant Pathology Claus Grunwald, Ph.D., Plant Physiologist and Head Eugene B. Himeliok, Ph.D., Plant Pathologist Dan Neely. Ph.D., Plant Pathologist D. F. SCHOENEWEISS, Ph.D., Plant Pathologist J. Leland Crane, Ph.D., Associate Mycologist Kenneth R. Robertson, Ph.D., Assistant Taxono- mist Betty S. Nelson, Junior Professional Scientist Gene E. Reid, Junior Professional Scientist James E. Sercent, Greenhouse Superintendent Richard Wilson, Technical Assistant Section of Aquatic Biology D. Homer Buck, Ph.D., Aquatic Biologist William P. Childers, Ph.D., Aquatic Biologist R. Weldon Larimore, Ph.D., Aquatic Biologist Robert C. Hiltibkan, Ph.D., Biochemist Allison Brigham, Ph.D., Associate Aquatic Biol- ogist Warren U. Brigham, Ph.D., Associate Aquatic Bi- ologist Richard E. Sparks. PhD.. Associate .-iquatic Biologist Ted W. Storck, Ph.D.. Assistant Aquatic Biologist John Tranquilli, Ph.D., Assistant Aquatic Biolo- gist Richard J. Baur. M.S., Junior Professional Scientist Carl M. Thompson, B.S., Junior Professional Sci- enti.it JANA Lee Waite, M.S., Junior Professional Scien- (l.vt Donald W. Dufford, M.S., Research Associate John M. McNurney. M.S., Research Associate David P. Philipp. Ph.D., Research .issociate Harry W. Bergmann, B.S., Research Assistant Warner D. Brigham, B.S., Research Assistant Kurt T. Clement, B.S.. Research Assistant Larry W. Coutant, M.S., Research Assistant Donald R. Halffield, M.S., Research Assistant Earl Thomas Joy, Jr., M.S., Research Assistant Robert Mokan, M.S., Research Assistant MiCHAEi, J. SULE, M.S., Research Assistant Stephen 0. Swadener, M.S., Research As.iistant STEPHEN W. Waite, M.S., Research Assistant Carl Alde, B.S., Technical Assistant Paul Beatv, M.S., Technical Assistant Kathryn Ewing, B.S., Technical Assistant Jeff Mutton, B.S., Technical Assistant George Lewis. M.S., Technical Assistant Sue Moran, Technical Assistant Don Mvrick, B.S., Technical Assistant Jens Sandberger, M.S.. Technical Assistant John J. Suloway. B.S., Technical Assistant Liann Suloway. M.S.. Technical .-issistant Robert Thomas. B.S.. Technical Assistant Gary L. Warken. B.S., Technical Assistant Lowell Davis, Field .-l^sislant C. Russell Rose, Field As.iistant Philip W. Smith, Ph.D.. Taxonomist and Head Wallace E. LaBeroe, Ph.D.. Taxonomist George L. Godfrey-, Ph.D., Associate Taxonomist John D. Unzicker, Ph.D., Associate Taxonomist Donald W. Webb, M.S., Associate Taxonomist Larry M. Pace. Ph.D., Associate Taxonomist Bernice P. Sweeney. Junior Professional Scientist Section of Wildlife Research Glen C. Sanderson, Ph.D.. Wildlife Specialist and Head Prank C. Bellrose. Sc.D.. Wildlife Specialist William R. Edwards, Ph.D., Wildlife Specialist Jean W. Graber. Ph.D., Wildlife Specialist Richard R. Graber, Ph.D., Wildlife Specialist Harold C. Hanson, Ph.D., Wildlife Specialist W. W. Cochran, Jr., B.S., Associate Wildlife SpecinU.it Charles M. Nixon, M.S., Associate Wildlife Speciali.st Kenneth E. Smith. Ph.D., Associate Chemist Ronald L. Westemeiee, M.S., Associate Wildlife Specinlist Lonnie P. Hansen. Ph.D., Assistant Wildlife Specialist Stephen P. Havera. M.S., Assistant Wildlife Specialist David R. Vance, M.S., Assistant Wildlife Specialist Richard E. Warner, M.S., Assistant Wildlife Specialist Ronald E. Duzan, Junior Professional Scientist Helen C. Schultz, M.A., Junior Professional Scientist Continued on page 466 CONTENTS Acknowledgments 437 Methods and Materials 438 Systematics 439 Synonymy 439 Types 440 Diagnosis 442 Description 443 Variation 445 Sexual 445 AUometric 445 Geographic 445 Relationships 446 Specimens Studied 446 Ohio River Drainage 446 Mississippi River Drainage 446 Gulf Coast Drainage 447 Distribution 447 Conservation Status 448 Life History in Wolf Lake 449 Study Area 449 Habitat 449 Reproduction 450 Reproductive Cycle of the Male 450 Reproductive Cycle of the Female 451 Spawning 452 Development and Growtli 453 Demograpliy 454 Density 454 Composition 455 Survival 455 Diet 455 Interaction with Other Organisms 457 Competition 457 Predation 458 Hybridization 459 Parasitism 459 Summary 460 Literature Cited 461 Index 465 This report is printed by authority of the State of Illinois, IRS Ch. 127, Par. 5S.12. It is a contribution from the Section of Faunistic Surveys and Insect Identification of the Illinois Natural History Survey. Brooks M. Burr is a former Research .4ssislanl. Illinois Natural History Suivey. He n presently an assistant professor. Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondalc. (01284-2M-8-77) Fig. 1—Distribution of Lepomis symmetricus in relation to the Coastal Boundary (solid black line). Solic circles represent recent localities (1938 to the present); large open circles represent old records (pre-1900, where the species is presumably extinct. The most northern open circle also represents the type-locality.. The life-history study area is enclosed within the square. The Bantam Sunfish, Lepomis symmetricus: Systematics and Distribution, and Life History in Wolf Lake, inois Brooks M. Burr The bantam sunfish, described as Bohlke; Garrett S. Glodek; Tomio Lepomis symmetricus by Stephen A. Forbes in 1883, is one of the least known species in the genus, probably because of its small size, rarity over parts of its range, occurrence in rather inaccessible swamp habitats, and drab and nondescript appearance. This ef- fort to remedy the gaps in our knowl- edge of the species reviews all published references to L. symmetricus. To sup- plement the meager information avail- able, this report includes an analysis of morphological variation based on the study of museum specimens, an assessment of the species' distribution, and a life-history study based on peri- odic collections made at a study site in southern Illinois. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For aid in the literature search, I am indebted to Philip W. Smith and Illi- nois Natural History Survey librarian Doris L. Sublette; for help in collecting specimens, to present and former asso- ciates John A. Boyd, Lloyd R. Davis, Larry M. Page, Philip W. Smith, and Roger D. Wrisberg. Larry M. Page and Philip W. Smith provided counsel on numerous matters. For identifying trematode and acanthocephalan par- asites, I am grateful to David F. Oetinger and for advice on other par- asitological problems, to Mary H. Pritchard, both of the Nebraska State Museum. E. Donald McKay III of the Illinois State Geological Survey sup- plied information on the age of Wolf Lake. For information about the location of syntypes and other pertinent study material, I am indebted to museum officials Reeve M. Bailey; James E. Iwamoto, California Academy of Sci- ences, including the Stanford Univer- sity (SU) collection; Robert K. John- son; Craig E. Nelson; Donn E. Rosen, Robert Schoknecht, Museum of Com- parative Zoology (MCZ) at Harvard University; and Keith S. Thompson. For providing laboratory space and/or the loan of specimens I thank Reeve M. Bailey, University of Michigan Mu- seum of Zoology (UMMZ) ; Thomas M. Buchanan, Westark Community College at Fort Smith, Arkansas (ARP) ; Neil H. Douglas, Northeast Louisiana University (NLU) ; David A. Etnier, University of Tennessee (UT) ; Robert K. Johnson, Field Mu- seum of Natural History (FMNH) ; Ernest A. Lachner, U.S. National Mu- seum of Natural History (USNM) ; Robert F. Martin, Texas Natural His- tory Collection at Austin (TNHC) ; John D. McEachran, Texas Cooper- ative Wildlife Collection at College Station (TCWC) ; William D. Pearson, University of Louisville, Kentucky (UL) ; Henry W. Robison, Southern State College at Magnolia, Arkansas (HWR) ; and Royal D. Suttkus and Michael M. Stevenson, Tulane Univer- sity, Louisiana (TU) . For providing lists of locality records and/or distri- bution maps I thank Thomas M. Bu- chanan; B. E. Gandy, Mississippi Mu- seum of Natural Science; Henry W. Robison; Morgan E. Sisk, Murray State University, Kentucky; Neil H. Douglas; and Glenn H. Clemmer, Mis- sissippi State Uni\ersity. LInless stated otherwise, the majority of the specimens used in this study are deposited at the Illinois Natural His- tory Survey (INHS) . 437 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 31, Art. 10 Most of the illustrations for this paper were prepared by Larry Farlow, Technical Photographer; Lloyd Le- Mere, Technical Illustrator; and Craig Ronto, all of the Illinois Natural Hi.s- tory Survey; the drawing of the sub- adult was done by Alice A. Prickett of the University of Illinois School of Life Sciences. Computer analysis of some of the data was undertaken by Stephen D. Cowan of the Survey. The manuscript was edited by Shirley McCHellan, As- sistant Technical Editor at the Survey, and Dr. Neil H. Douglas, Northeast Louisiana University, served as guest reviewer. Partial support for the field work was provided by tlie U.S. Depart- ment of Agriculture Forest Service; the Illinois Natural History Survey ren- dered the other support. Special per- mission to collect specimens of the bantam sunfish, which is protected by the Illinois Fish Code, was given by the Department of Conservation. Per- mits to take specimens in the National Park were issued by Joe L. Newcomb of the Forest Service. Paid Brown of the Trojan Powder Plant granted per- mission to collect on powder plant property. METHODS AND MATERIALS An attempt was made to compile as complete a synonymy as possible for Lepomis symmelricus, and it is be- lieved that virtually all published ref- erences to it have been examined. Morphological data were taken on se- lected series that could be expected to show geographical variation, allomet- ric variation, or sexual dimorphism in the species. Meristic and morphomet- ric data were taken in the conventional manner of Hubbs & Lagler (1964: 19- 26) . One-way analysis of variance tests were run to determine significant dif- ferences in means of samples deter- mined by sex. Unless stated otherwise, measurements are standard lengths (SL). Observations and minnow-seine col- lections were made in Wolf Lake in Union County, Illinois, at approx- imately 1-montii intervals, except dur- ing the spawning season, when more frecjuent oi)servations were needed. The life-history study began 2 June 1973 and ended 27 May 1975. Specimens were preserved in lO-per- cent formalin and were returned to the laboratory for study. In all, 233 specimens from Wolf Lake were pre- served and examined. Because the spe- cies is protected by the Illinois Fish Code, usually no more than 20 spec- imens were taken on one visit even when the species was commonly en- coimtered, so as not to seriously dec- iinate the population. Collecting was done by bag seine; minnow seine; dip net; and, in one instance, by electro- fishing. Potential predators of the ban- tam sunfish were occasionally collected for examination of stomach contents. Field notes were routinely taken. In the laboratory, specimens were sexed, measured, and aged, and their gonads and stomachs were excised and studied. During the spawning season, breeding adidts were brought to the laboratory and placed in observation tanks. Aging to year class was done by counting scale annuli removed from the dorsum. Aging to month was done by using May, the month of greatest breeding activity in Wolf Lake, as month zero. Thus, a sunfish collected in October with one scale annul us was estimated to have lived 1 year and 5 montlis. For certain comparisons sun- fishes were divided into young (through 12 montTis) and adidt (over 12 months) age groups. Weights of the ovaries of 30 females were obtained and recorded as a pro- portion of the adjusted body weight (the specimen minus the ovaries, stom- ach, intestine, and liver) of the female. Mature ova from 14 preserved breed- ing females were counted. Indicators used for ascertaining probable spawn- Sept., 1977 Bl:rr: The Bantam Sunitsh, Lepomis Symmetricus 439 iiig periods in oilier localities and other years were that males exhibited breeding color patterns and that fe- males were heavy with ova. The relative survival of each year class of the study popidatlon was cal- culated by ex]3ressing the number of individuals in that year class as a pro- portion of the nmnber of individuals in a younger year class. SYSTEMATICS SYNONYMY Lepomis symmclricus Forbes Lepomis symmetricus McKay 1882: 88 (nometi nudum); Forbes in Jordan &: Gilbert 1883: 473-174 (original de- scription, Illinois River [at Pekin] Illinois); Forbes 1884:68 (Illinois range) ; Jordan 1884: 320-321 (rede- scription, museum specimens cited) ; Jordan 1888:117 (redescription) ; BoUman 1892: 566, 571 (key, range) ; Evermann & Kendall 1894: 84, 93, 1 1 1 (redescription, Texas records) ; Hay 1894: 255, 261 (redescription, key. not taken in Indiana) ; Richard- son 1904: 31, 33 (relationships, key, Illinois range) ; Forbes & Richard- son 1908: 251-252 (redescription, key, Illinois range) ; Forbes 1909: 388 (Illinois range) ; Pratt 1923: 118 (key, range) ; Greene 1927: 309 (not in Wisconsin) ; Hildebrand & Towers 1927: 133-134 (Greenwood, Mississippi, food habits in Missis- sippi) ; Summers 1937: 434 (new trematode parasite. Baton Rouge, Louisiana) ; Mizelle 1938: 160 (tre- matode transferred to new genus) ; Mizelle & Hughes 1938: 351 (tre- matode parasite cited) ; Simimers &: Bennett 1938: 248 (trematode para- site cited); Kuhne 1939:110 (Ten- nessee list, redescription, sexes fig- ured) ; Lamb 1941:45 (Willow Creek, San Jacinto drainage, Texas) ; Fowler 1945: 364, 370 (Louisiana and Mississippi records, figure erro- neous) ; Gerking 1945: 115 (possible in Indiana) ; Seamster 1948: 165, 168 (trematode parasite cited) ; Baugh- man 1950:247 (Texas list); Moore & Cross 1950: 146 (recorded from Oklahoma); Reeves 8: Moore 1951: 42 (Oklahoma Coastal Plain) ; B()lilke 1953: 71 (SU syntypes listed) ; Moore 1952: n.p. (Oklahoma list) ; Jurgens & Hubbs 1953: 15 (Texas list); Knapp 1953: 115 (key, Texas range) ; Gunning & Lewis 1955: 556 (habitat, food habits in Illinois) ; Gunning S: Lewis 1956: 24 (WoU Lake and Pine Hills, Illinois) ; Eddy 1957: 191 (key, range); Hubbs 1957(7: 97 (Texas range) : Hubbs 1957fc: 9 (Texas list); Moore ni Blair et al. 1957: 170 (key, range); Hubbs 1958: 10 (Texas list) ; Bou- dreaux et al. 1959: 8, 10 (Sour Lake, Hardin County, Texas) ; Cook 1959: 180 (redescription, ecology, Missis- sippi range) ; Bailey et al. 1960: 27 (list) ; Smith & Bridges 1960: 254 (INHS syntypes) ; Hubbs 1961: 10 (Texas range) ; Branson &: Moore 1962: 9, 15, 24, 27, 29, 31, 33, 41, 48, 65, 72, 91, 99 (relationships, acous- tico-lateralis system); Clay 1962: 119 (Kentucky range) ; CoUetle 1962: 146, 177 (associate of slough darter and swamp darter) ; Lambou 1962: 78 (Lake Bistineau, Louisiana) ; Walker 1962:40 (Jackson, Lincoln, and Bienville parishes, Louisiana) ; AV^ilker 1963:48 (Choudrant Bayou, Louisiana) ; Sharma 1964: 533 (mu- cus cells in canal linings) ; Binton & Douglas 1965: 94 (Bayou De Siard, Louisiana) ; Smith 1965: 9 (Illinois range) ; Pflieger 1966: 53 (Missouri key); Breder & Rosen 1966: 413 (breeding habits unknown) ; Chil- ders 1967: 160 (tribe Lepomini) ; Douglas R; Davis 1967: 23 (Louisi- ana " list) ; Hoffman 1967: 340 (known parasites) ; Pflieger 1968: 54 (Missouri key) ; Moore in Blair et al. 1968: 128-129 (key, range) ; Whi taker 1968: 96-97 (key, range) ; Eddy 1969: 217 (key, range); 440 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 31, Art. 10 Smith R: Sisk 1969: 66 (Obion Creek, Kentucky) ; Bailey ct al. 1970: 36 (list) ; Jenkins ct al. 1971: 74 (possibly present in lower Tennessee or Cumberland rivers) ; Pflieger 1971:413-414 (habitat, zoo- geography, Missouri range) ; Smith et al. 1971: 10 (not in upper Missis- sippi River) ; Hubbs 1972: 6 (Texas range) ; Miller 1972: 244 (threatened in Illinois and Missouri) ; Rozenburg et al. 1972: iii, 22, 28, 30, 32, 33, 36, 40, 45, 51, 82, HI (Navasota River, Texas) ; Buchanan 1973a: 29 (Ar- kansas list) ; Buchanan 1973fe: 51 (key, Arkansas range) ; Miller k Robison 1973: 184-185 (key, rede- scription, ecology, Oklahoma range) ; Moore 1973: 6 (McCurtain County, Oklahoma) ; Smith 1973: 33 (Illinois key) ; Lopinot & Smith 1973: 46-47 (status in Illinois) ; Buchanan 1974: 89 (status undetermined in Arkan- sas) ; Douglas 1974:312-313 (rede- scription, Louisiana range) ; Pflieger in Holt et al. 1974: n.p. (rare in Missouri) ; Ackerman 1975: 10 (en- dangered in Illinois) ; Boyd et al. 1975: 11, 21 (status in IHinois) ; Clay 1975: 267, 276, 280 (redescription, key, Kentucky range) ; Douglas & Davis 1975: 23 (Louisiana list) ; Mc- Reynolds 1975: 253 (LaRue Swamp, Illinois) ; Pflieger 1975: 254, 265 (fig- ure, key, redescription, Missouri range) ; Robison 1975: 54, 56 (Saline River, Arkansas, evidence of recent spawning) ; Webb fe Sisk 1975: 63, 67, 69 (Bayou de Chien, Kentucky, endangered in Kentucky) ; Hubbs 1976: 6 (Texas list) ; Hubbs & Pigg 1976: 116 (indeterminate status in Oklahoma); Seehorn 1976: 21 (South- eastern National Forest list) . Apomotis symmetricus: Boulenger 1895: 21 (redescription) ; Jordan & Evermann 1896:998-999 (redescrip- tion) ; Evermann 1899: 310 (Lake Lapourde, Louisiana) ; Large 1903: 24 (Illinois range) ; Jordan et al. 1930: 299 (list, range) ; Gowanloch 1933: 348, 351 (Louisiana range) ; Schlaikjer 1937: 12 (phylogeny) ; Schrenkeisen 1938: 243-244 (rede- scription, range) . Lethogrammus symmetricus: Hubbs in Jordan 1929: 147 (transfer to new genus erected by C. L. Hubbs) ; Greene 1935: 220 (not in Wiscon- sin) ; O'Donnell 1935: 486 (Illinois range) ; Breder 1936: 28 (breeding habits unknown) ; Baker 1937: 48 (redescription, rare at Reelfoot Lake) ; Baker & Parker 1938: 162 (Reelfoot Lake list) ; Baker 1939a: 34 (redescription, sexes figured, com- mon at Reelfoot Lake) ; Baker 1939&:45 (Reelfoot Lake key). TYPES Lepomis symmetricus was described by Forbes in Jordan & Gilbert (1883: 473-474) from a syntypic series consist- ing of 15 specimens collected 16 April Table 1 .—Frequency distribution for number of caudal peduncle scales in selected pop- ulations of Lepomis symmetricus. Drainage Illinois R., III. Wabash R., 111. Mississippi R., 111., Mo., Ky. Mississippi R.. Tenn. Mississippi R., Ark., La. Ouachita R., Ark., La. Red R.. Okla., Tex., Ark., La. Gulf Slope, Tex., La. Sept., 1977 Burr: The Bantam Sunfish, Lepomis Svmmetricus Table 2.—Frequency distribution for number of lateral line scales in selected of Lepomis symmetricus. 441 populations Drainage Number of Scales 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 Coefficient of Variation Illinois R., 111. Wabash R., 111. Mississippi R., 111., Mo., Ky. Mississippi R.. Tenn. Mississippi R.. Ark., La. Ouachita R., .Ark., La. Red R., Okla., Tex., Ark., La. Gulf Slope, Tex., La. 7 2 2 3 5 I 2 1 .. 2 12 15 9 5 3 4 1 ..2 4 67 4 2.... 1 1 5 7 4 4 3.... 2 3 5 4 4 4 3 1.. 6 4 10 7 6 5 4 10 8 8 3 1.... 11 442 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 31, Art. 10 and 2 June 1880 from the Illinois River (Mississippi drainage) at Pekin, Tazewell County, Illinois (Fig. 1) . All 15 of the original syntypes are extant: INHS 220 (8, 32.7-39.5 mm SL) ; INHS 226 (2, 50.1-51.2 mm SL) ; MCZ 25014 (1, 49.5 mm SL) ; SU 1276 (3, 49.8-56.9 mm SL) ; USNM 29864 (1, 51.0 mm SL) . All 15 are in a good state of preservation. To preserve customary nomenclature and in accordance with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature Article 74, recommenda- tion 74D, a lectotype of L. symmetriciis Forbes is herewith designated (INHS 75004, 39.5 mm SL) . The specimen, a juvenile, conforms to the character- ization of the species given under De- scription and in Tables 1-4. The in- complete lateral line has 34 scales with 6 scales above and 13 scales below the lateral line. There are 19 caudal pe- duncle scales, 5 cheek row scales, and 6 branchiostegal rays. Fin ray counts are: dorsal spines, 10; anal spines, 3; pectoral rays, 12-12; dorsal soft rays, 10; anal soft rays, 10. The nine other specimens originally accessioned as INHS 220 and 226 are paralectotypes, now INHS 75005 and INHS 75006, re- spectively. The USNM, SU, and MCZ syntypes also became paralectotypes, keeping their original catalogue num- bers. It is unlikely that the original mate- rial of /-. symmelricxis collected by Forbes and associates was captured from the Illinois River proper. Al- though the Illinois River has changed rather drastically since Forbes's era, it probably never maintained habitat suitable for L. symmetriciis. More likely the specimens came from one of the natural floodplain lakes in the Pekin area, where favorable habitat has been present in past years. DIAGNOSIS The most diminutive species of Le- pomis (the largest specimen measured is 75.5 mm SL) is distinguished from other members of the genus by this combination of characters: Lateral line incomplete (1-18 scales unpored) or interrupted (as many as 6 times) . Gill rakers long (longest in the genus, Table 5.—Proportional measurements of Lepom'is symmetricus from throughout the range, expressed in thousandths of standard length." Burr: The Bantam Suniish, Lepomis SymmetricusSept., 1977 longest rakers 2.3-2.9 mm) , and slen- der (0.3-0.5 mm wide, 7-9 times longer than wide) , niimljering 12-15, modally 13. Opercle stiff to its bony margin, the dark opercular spot slightly diffuse on narrow, bordering membrane. Dor- sal coloration dusky with dark coffee- colored spots on body, spots occasion- ally forming irregidar vertical bands. Head and cheeks darkened and with- out patterns. Juveniles often more ver- tically barred than adults and have a prominent black blotch in the poste- rior rays of the soft dorsal fin, becom- ing less intense with age. Branson & Moore (1962) showetl these additional characters to be distinctive: only one posterior pore on the post-temporal, lateralis ending imder the soft dorsal fin, preopercle angle 110° to 115°, lachrymal bone nearly twice as tall as wide, supramaxilla shorter than max- illa, and no teeth on tongue or ptery- goids. DESCRIPTION Forbes (;w Jordan & Gilbert 1883: 443 473-474) and Forbes 8: Richardson (1908: 251-252) adequately described the specimens available to them. The following description is an amplifica- tion, which includes additional meris- tic and morphometric data, and a more comprehensive description of colora- tion. Body proportion values are presented in Table 5. When no geo- graphic variation was noted, the var- iation data from throughout the range of the species are merely summarized. AVhen geographic variation was noted, the ranges and modes are given in the description, but their frequencies are discussed luider Variation. C^ounts of lateral-line scales, caudal-peduncle .scales, dorsal soft rays, and anal soft rays, all of which show slight clinal variation, are presented in Tables 1-4. General physiognomy and pigmenta- tion of adidts and juveniles are shown in Fig. 2 and 3. Lateral line scales 30-38, modally 32 (Table 2) . Bailey (1938) reported one specimen with 40 lateral line scales. Scales above the lateral line 5 (in 7 Fig. 2—Breeding male Lepomis symmetricus 53.6 mm in standard length collected in Wolf Lake on 27 May 1 975. Pigmentation in the fins is somewhat subdued by preservation. 444 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 31, Art. 10 specimens), 6 (92), 7 (11), x = 6.1. Scales below the lateral line 12 (in 48 specimens) , 13 (52) , 14 (15) , x = 12.7. Caudal peduncle scales 17-22, modally 19 (Table 1) . Scales on cheek 4-6, modally 5. Scales well developed on preopercle, subopercle, interopercle, and opercle, all such scales about the same size and shape. No scales on top of head. Dorsal spines 9 (in 22 specimens) , 10 (133), 11 (6),x = 9.9. Dorsal soft rays 9-12, modally 10 (Table 3) . Anal spines 2 (in 1 specimen) ,4 (2) , 3 in all others. Anal soft rays 9-12, modally 10 (Table 4). Pectoral rays 11 (in 8 specimens) , 12 (66) , 13 (32) , x = 12.2. All pelvic fins counted had 1 spine. Pelvic rays 4-4 (in 1 specimen) , 4-5 (2) , 5-5 (42) . Principal caudal rays 17 (in 41 specimens), 18 (1). Gill rakers on first arch (all rudi- ments counted) 12 (in 12 specimens) , 13 (36), 14 (22), 15 (6), x= 13.3. Rakers long and slender (see Diagno- sis) . Rudimentary rakers (usually 3-5) are shorter and more blunt. The lat- eral line on the body is incomplete or interrupted (see Diagnosis and Fig. 3). The cephalic lateral-line system was described in detail by Branson & Moore (1962). Caudal fin slightly emarginate. No teeth on tongue and pterygoids. Teeth present on vomers and palatines. Pharyngeal arches nar- row with many small, blunt subconical teeth present (Richardson 1904) . Peri- toneal color is usually fleshy with many scattered melanophores, but occasional specimens have a more silvery ground color with melanophores scattered throughout. Dorsal coloration is dusky olive- brown or, in life, dark green with a somewhat lighter venter of yellowish brown. Many dark coffee-colored spots occur over the body, often one spot per scale, creating vague, irregular vertical bands or longitudinal rows. The belly, breast, throat, and chin have many tiny, dark melanophores. Some spec- \^ -^ Fig. 3 — Lepcmis symmetricus prejuvenile 12.0 mm in standard length (above) and ju- venile 30.0 mm in standard length (below). imens are almost solid black on the midbody with discrete black punctate marks on the cheeks. The fins, except the pectorals, are dusky overall with the soft dorsal and anal usually having several light spots. The pectoral fin rays are outlined by melanophores but are otherwise clear. The cheeks and head are very dark and have no pat- terns. The dark opercular spot is usually bordered with a light area on its posterior margin. Juveniles contrast with adults in generally having more distinct vertical bands, in always having a black spot in the soft dorsal, and in having some red-orange pigmentation in both the soft dorsal and soft anal fins. Juveniles are lighter overall than adults and gen- erally have seven to nine rather distinct vertical bands that are darker (brown) than the overall light greenish ground color. The vertical barring is occasion- ally obscured by flecks of darker pig- ment over the body, giving it a spotted appearance. The juveniles of both sexes have a distinct black blotch on the last five to eight rays of the soft Sept., 1977 Burr: The Bantam Sunfish, Lepomis Symmetricus 445 dorsal fin; the pigment is distributed both on the radial and interradial membranes. Rarely, there is a black spot in the soft anal fin (NLU 2907, 2 of 21 specimens; INHS 18151, 1 of 45 specimens) on the last three rays, and again the pigment is both on the radial and interradial membranes. Red- orange pigmentation is also present in the soft dorsal and soft anal fins of both sexes, on the radial and inter- radial membranes, and is very prom- inent in specimens collected during the fall and winter months. The belly, breast, throat, and chin sometimes are marked with discrete, tiny brown mel- anophores. Jordan (1884:320-321) re- marked that small specimens from New Orleans had faint blue spots on the sides of their heads. Breeding color- ation is discussed under Reproductive Cycles of both sexes. VARIATION Sexual No sexual variation in meristic char- acters was noted, but some dimorphism in one proportional character and in C j^ . D Fig. 4—Genital papillae of Lepomis sym- metricus. A, nonbreeding male; B, breeding male; C, nonbreeding female; D, breeding female. The nonbreeding specimens were 1 + years old, collected on 19 October 1973; the breeding specimens were 2 years old, collected on 27 April 1974. sex organs was evident. Pelvic fin length is significantly greater at the 0.05 level (F = 8.29) in the male than in the female (Table 5). The urogen- ital papilla of the adult female is en- larged and protruding during the spawning season, whereas that of the adult male is only slightly enlarged (Fig. 4) . The male is not appreciably larger than the female. The largest individuals from the study area were females (61 and 63 mm SL) , the largest specimen examined from throughout the range was a female (75.5 mm SL) . The largest male was 73.5 mm SL. Allomelric No allometric variation in meristic characters was found. Although allo- metric variation in morphometric char- acters was not investigated, adults are more robust than juveniles, as in other sunfishes. Moreover, it is the adult that is symmetrical in shape and thus is re- sponsible for the trivial name of the species. Juveniles have body propor- tions similar to those of other juvenile sunfishes. The number of vertical bands, if present at all, is the same in the juvenile and adult. The inost no- table allometric variation is the ten- dency for the black spot in the soft dor- sal fin to become more diffuse and weak with age. It is prominent in the smallest young and absent in the adult, except in an occasional female. The soft anal and soft dorsal fins have a red-orange coloration that disappears when the fish becomes adult. Geographic Geographic variation in some meris- tic characters was evident when samples were grouped according to major river systems and arranged in a north-to- south order from the Mississippi drain- age of Illinois; through the Ouachita and Red river drainages of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas; to 446 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 31, Art. 10 the Gulf Coast drainages of Texas antl Louisiana (Tables 1-4) . No significant geograpliic variation was found in any of tlie body propor- tions measured (Table 5) . In fact, in this respect L. .syrntnetricus is remark- ably conservative for a species witii a rather long north-to-soutli distribution (Fig. 1) . These meristic characters varied clinally: numbers of caudal- peduncle scales, lateral-line scales, and anal soft rays. The numljer of dorsal soft rays showed a slight but .somewhat irregular trend toward more ray ele- ments in the north (Tai)le 3) . Tlic Mississippi drainage samples from Ar- kansas, Louisiana, 1 ennessec, Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky were intermedi- ate in caudal-peduncle and lateral-line scale counts between Red River-Gulf Coast samples and those from the Wa- bash drainage of Illinois. In these counts (Tables 1 and 2) the samples showed a gradual increase toward the north, whereas the soft-ray counts (Ta- bles 3 and 4) were more discordant, with specimens from the Red River- Gulf Coast samples having means close to that of the Illinois River specimens. The most aberrant samples are those that formerly occurred in oxbow ponds along the Wabash River in White County, Illinois. They have a slightly higher mean number of lateral-line scales and slightly higher mean num- ber of caudal-peduncle scales, but they have lower means for the soft fin ray counts than samples from the upper Mississippi drainage (Tables 1^) . No apparent geographic trends in coloration or pattern could be per- ceived. Individual variation occurs in the prominence of the vertical bars and overall darkness, due perhaps in part to the strength of the preservative and age of the individuals. RELATIONSHIPS Because of various features of mor- phology, cytology, and paleontology, L. symmetricus has been considered to be most closely related to L. cyanellus (Bailey 1938; Branson 8c Moore 1962) as a highly specialized congener with several unique characters. Hubbs (in Jordan 1929) considered L. symmetricus distinctive enoiigh to warrant place- ment in a new monotypic genus, Le- thogrammiis, and Bailey (1938), adopt- ing the use of subgenera, placed L. symmelriciis in the suiigenus Lethog- ramrniis. More recent studies on species of I.epomis using the techniques of elec- trophoresis (Avise & Smith 1974), hy- bridization (Hester 1970), and chro- mosome analysis (Roberts 1964) have not included specimens of L. symmetri- cus. Thus, it is not known where the species wouki be placed in the classi- fication schemes presented by these authors. SPECIMENS STUDIED The following list includes only those collections of L. symmetricus that were used for meristic and morpho- metric features. Others were used for the assessment of distribution, descrip- tive features, and life-history data. Col- lections are listed generally from north to south. The number of s]5ecimens ex- amined is given in parentheses follow- ing the catalog number. Specific local- ity data may be obtained upon request from the author. Ohio River Drainage Wabash River system.—ILLINOIS, White County: 2 October 1882, INHS 75008 (1); 1 October 1882, INHS 75009 (1); 3 October 1882, INHS 75007 (10). Mississippi River Drainage Illinois River system.—ILLINOIS, Tazewell County: 16 April 1880, INHS 75004 (1), INHS 75005 (7). USNM 29864 (1); 2 fune 1880, INHS 75006 (2) . Clear Creek sy'stem.—ILLINOIS, Sept., 1977 Burr: The Bantam Suni-ish, Lepomis Symmetricus 447 Union County: 18 July 1883, INHS 75102 (5); 16 September 1959, INHS 17547 (6) ; 27 April 1963, INHS 17566 (1); 27 May 1965, INHS 17583 (1) ; 31 August 1970, INHS 17557 (1) ; 21 June 1973, INHS 18143 (5) ; 25 July 1973, INHS 18151 (2); 24 January 1974, INHS 75025 (6) ; 28 March 1974, INHS 75022 (1); 30 May 1974, INHS 75021 (1) ; 27 May 1975, INHS 75020 Obion Creek system.—KEN- TUCKY, Hickman County: 21 Jan- uary 1964, INHS 75024 (1) ; no date, UL 5617 (10). Fulton County: 15 June 1948, UL 10691 (4). Saint Francis River system.—MIS- SOURI, Stoiklard County: 25 October 1973, INHS 75023 (10). Natural Lakes and Backwaters.— TENNESSEE. Lake County: 11-13 March 1968, UT 90.27 (8) ; 8 April 1950, FMNH 80532 (2) . Lauderdale County: 9 October 1972, UT 90.102 (2). ARKANS.\S, Chicot County: 17 Augu.st 1974, HWR 74-35 (8). Forked Deer River system.—TEN- NESSEE, Haywood County: 3 Novem- ber 1973, UT 90.138 (1); 27 April 1974, UT 90.140 (6). Gibson County: 19 October 1973, UT 90.139 (10) . L'Angville River system.—AR- KAN.SAS, St. Francis County: 7 Au- gust 1939, UMMZ 128537 (2). Arkansas River system.—ARKAN- SAS, Arkansas County: 13 August 1974, ARP-79 (10) . Ouachita River system.—ARKAN- SAS. Bradley County: 23 May 1974, UT 90.1 16 (1) , HWR 74-8 (1) ; 10 Au- gust 1974, HWR 74-26 (7). Calhoun bounty: 6 October 1974, JLS 74-14 (2). Union County: 25 April 1975, NLU 31455 (10) . LOUISIANA, Oua- chita Parish: 17 October 1964, NLU 894 (5). Red River system.—ARKANSAS, Little River County: 13 September 1940, UMMZ 170879 (1). OKLA- HOMA, McCurtain County: 20 Au- gust 1948, UMMZ 155830 (1). LOU- ISIANA, Red River Parish: 22 June 1965, NLU 1954 (7). Winn Parish: 23 June 1965, NLU 1989 (7). Caddo Parish: 22 February 1969, NLU 12804 (5) . TEXAS, Bowie County: 24 May 1957, TNHC 4984 (10). Harrison County: 17 March 1972, TCWC 1068.14 (2). Lake Pontchartrain.—LOUISI- ANA, Orleans Parish: 15 April 1974, NLU 29918 (5). Gulf Coast Drainage Calcasieu River system.—LOUISI- ANA, Calcasieu Parish: 10 August 1965, NLU 2534 (6) . Allen Parish: 10 August 1965, NLU 2907 (5). Jefferson Davis Parish: 10 August 1965, NLU 2909 (4). Mermentau-Teche River system.— LOUISIANA, Avoyelles Parish: 20 April 1975, NLU 31572 (3) . Neches River system.—TEXAS, Jef- ferson County: 2 May 1970, TCWC 3643 (14). Hardin County: August 1950, TNHC 585 (1). Newton County: 7 June 19,52, TNHC 2889 (3) . Trinity River system.—TEXAS, C;hambers County: 14 July 1953, TNHC 3873 (2) . San Jacinto River system.—TEXAS, Montgomery County: 23 Marcii 1951, TNHC 1211 (1). DISTRIBUTION All known locality records for L. symntetricus are plotted in Fig. I. Along the Gulf Coast the species ex- tends from Eagle Lake (Colorado River drainage, UNIMZ 129793) in Texas east to marshes of the Jordan River sys- tem in Mississippi. In the Mississippi Valley it presently extends north to the bottomland oxbow lakes and swamps of southern Illinois. A published rec- ord for the St. Joseph River of Mich- igan (Dolley 1933) is clearly based on a misidentification, as Michigan is far out of the range of the bantam sunfish. L. symmetricus is now almost en- 448 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 31, Art. 10 tirely restricted to the Coastal Plain. It formerly traversed the Coastal Plain lioiindary far northward to the Illi- nois River (at Pekin) and backwater ponds and sloughs of the Wabash River system in White County, Illinois (Fig. 1) . The species has not been collected from the type-locality since 1880, a fact which Richardson (1904) noted only 24 years after its original description. Indeed, it was collected only twice from Pekin. It has not been collected from the Wabash valley since 1882, whence it was known from three localities and 12 specimens (INHS 75007, 75008, 75009) . The distribution of L. sym- metricus has thus changed rather dra- matically in Illinois, the decimation probably being the result of radical changes brought on by human modifi- cations, notably the stocking of non- native sunfishes, a reduction in aquatic vegetation, draining of lowland swamps and sloughs, and various forms of ag- ricultural and industrial pollution (Smith 1971). Mills et al. (1966) clearly demonstrated the effects of hu- man modification on the fauna and flora of the Illinois River, and the fac- tors listed above almost surely caused the extirpation of the species from the Pekin area. It is also possible that the relatively short life span of the species (3-f years) is somehow associated with its fairly rapid extirpation from dis- turbed or polluted areas in the Missis- sippi Valley of Illinois, Missouri, and Kentucky. The species is virtually absent east of the Mississippi River in Mississippi. Perhaps the Mississippi River has been an effective barrier to dispersal in this region, or the species' apparent absence there may be because collectors tend to avoid swamps, sloughs, and lowland streams. The species is statewide in occurrence in Louisiana, where it is common, and it is rather common in eastern Texas, southern Arkansas, and parts of western Tennessee (Fig. 1) . The distribution of L. symmelricus suggests that it is autochthonous to the lower Mississippi River valley (Pflieger 1971:413-414). It apparently dispersed through oxbow lakes, swamps, and sloughs, created by varying water levels during the history of the Mississippi River. (Pflieger (1971:414) suggested that L. symmelricus may have had its origin in the lower Mississippi valley, cHspersed northward to central Illinois during the postglacial Climatic Opti- mum, and become disjunct in its north- ern distribution subsequently. CONSERVATION STATUS Miller (1972) listed L. symmelricus as rare in both Illinois and Missouri in a compilation of threatened fishes of the United States. At that time it was known in those states from only two localities: the LaRue-Pine Hills area of southwestern Illinois (Union County) and the Duck Creek Wildlife Area of southeastern Missouri (Bollinger County) , where it has been reported to be common (Pflieger 1971:413) . It has since been found to be common in Wolf Lake, Illinois, and Mingo Na- tional Wildlife Refuge, Missouri (Pflie- ger 1975:265) . The species is on the protected list of both states but not presently endangered in either because its habitat is now rigidly protected in refuges. Recently, Webb & Sisk (1975: 69) recommended that L. symmelricus be placed on Kentucky's rare and en- dangered species list in view of its rar- ity in Kentucky. In Oklahoma the species is found only in the swamps of McCurtain County in the southeastern corner of the state (Fig. I) . L. symmelricus was not considered threatened by Robison et al. (1974) in their list of threatened Oklahoma fishes, but it may presently be reduced in numbers according to Hubbs & Pigg (1976:116). In Arkan- sas the status of the species was listed as indeterminate by Buchanan (1974), Sept., 1977 Blrr; The Bantam Sumtsh, Lepomis Svmmetricus 449 but L. symmctricus was not cited Ijy Powder Plant. Most observations and Robison (1974) in his list of threat- collections in Wolf Lake were made cned Arkansas fishes. The species is near the powder plant bridge, where apparently in no danger in southern access to tlie lake was easy although Arkansas (Fig. 1), where it is known other portions of the lake were from many localities. sampled. LIFE HISTORY IN WOLF LAKE STUDY AREA Wolf Lake is a long (ca. L9 km), narrow (ca. 0.1 km), and ancient ox- bow of the Big Mudily River (Missis- sippi drainage) situated .south of the LaRue-Pine Hills Ecological Area to which it is connected by bottomland swamp. The lake is apparently still in a fairly natural, undisturbed condition and is estimated to be at least 2,00(1 years old (E. Donald McKay IIL per- sonal communication) . The northern portion of the lake was recently ac- quired by the U. S. Forest Service, whereas the southern portion of the lake is privately owned by the Trojan HABITAT Wolf Lake is characterized by tvro predominant habitats: a heavily veg- etated shoreline with many submerged logs and stumps (Fig. 5) and an open deepwater area in the center of the lake free from vegetation and submerged ob- jects. The lake is not shaded and the water is usually turbid. The vegetated shoreline, where L. symmctricus occurs (Fig. 5) , is dominated by spatterdock [Nymphaea advcna) , American lotus (Nclumbo hitea) , common arrowhead (Sngillaria latifolia) , coontail (Cera- tophyllum dcmersum) and duckweed {Lcmna spp., Wolffia spp.) . The bot- tom consists mostly of decomposed veg- Fig. 5—Vegetated margin of Wolf Lake, Union County, Illinois, illustrating the preferred habitat of Lepomis symmetricus. Photo taken in May 1974. Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 450 etation, silt, and mud, with some sand. Water depth ranges from 300 mm to 18 meters. Dissolved oxygen averages 9.0 ppm; temperatures range from 4° to 8° C from December to February and are as high as 29° C in Jidy and August. L. symmelricus was foimd in similar habitat during a 1-year study of fishes in the adjacent LaRue-Pine Hills swamp (Boyd et al. 1975) . During the fall and winter months L. symrnetricus was characteristically found at a depth of 150-300 mm usually near the shore- line in Wolf Lake. During the summer months the species could be found at depths of 600-1200 mm but still within the vegetated periphery of the lake. Elsewhere in its range L. symmeiri- cus is invariably found in lentic waters characterized Ijy standing timber, sub- merged logs and stumps, and rich vege- tation. Sloughs, oxbows, ponds, back- waters, lakes, and swamps typical of the undisturbed portions of the Coastal Plain are optimal habitat. L. symmet- ricus is found in greatest numbers over substrates consisting of mud, detritus, and decayed plant material. Although L. symrnetricus is syntopic with several other species of Lepomis in Wolf Lake, it was almost always col- lected by itself in the areas mentioned. The other Lepomis were usually taken in more open areas and generally in deeper water. In Wolf Lake the fishes most often found with L. symmetries in descending order of association were L. macrochirus, L. gulosus, Pom axis nigromaculatus, Notemigomis crysolcu- ras, Gambxisia affmis, Micropterns sal- moidcs, Elassoma zonatum, and Ethcos- toma gracile. Other inhabitants of the habitat of L. symmelricus occurring in less frequent numbers are Lepisosteus oculatus, L. platostomus, Dorosoma cc- pedianum, Umbra limi, Cyprinus car- pio, Icliobus cyprincJhts, Ictaliirus nnl- alis, I. nebulosus, Fundulus dispar, Aphredoderus sayanus, Centrarchus macropteriis, Lepomis microlophus, and L. punctatus. Vol. 31, Art. 10 REPRODUCTION Reproductive Cycle of the Male The genital papilla (Fig. 4) of ripe L. symrnetricus males enlarged slightly as ilie spawning season approacheil. The testes, normally small, translucent, and elongate, became large, opacpie white, and thickened. Breeding males (Fig. 2) , in contrast to non-breeding males and females (which were nearly identical in color and pattern) , became very dark on the head, and the irregidar vertical cross bars grew subdued. The venter from the chin and throat to the anterior rays of the anal fin became grayish black. Many small greenish flecks were present on the heail and opercle, anil the dark opercular spot was outlined i)y a silvery- cream color with a hint of sullused red. The pectoral fins were relatively dusky overall but with no definite patterns. The posterior edges of the pelvic fins were almost solid black with the re- mainder of the fins cream color. The dorsal fin had many light spots sin-- rounded by dusky brown or black areas. The iris of the eye was brilliant red with a distinct black transverse bar through it. Because of the silty darkly-stained water of Wolf Lake, no nests of L. sym- melricus coidd be observed in nature, and notliing is known of territory size. However, Robison (1975:56) reported that on 23 May 1974 in a roadside pool, Saline County, Arkansas, L. symrnetri- cus had recently spawned, inasmuch as "depressions in the mud and leaf litter substrate were filled with numerous eggs." Since males were observed to be higldy aggressive toward females and other sunfishes are known to be terri- torial (Larimore 1957), it is assumed that L. symmelricus defends an area in nature. An aquarium-held male col- lected in May was seen on several occa- sions to form a shallow nest by rapidly swimming forward, then turning his body straight up in a vertical position Sept., 1977 Burr: The Bantam Sunfish, Lepomis Svmmetricus 451 and descending, sweeping his tail vig- orously back and forth imtil a nest de- pression was formed. Such nests were formed o\er both sand and gravel sub- strates. These nests were approximately 90-120 mm in diameter. It is likely that L. synunetriciis males build shal- low depressions in the mud bottom of \VoIf Lake along the shallow edges close to the vegetation where egg at- tachment may take place. This behav- ior has been described for L. cyaueUus (Hankinson 1908:210-211). Only large males developed the breeding patterns, the slightly enlarged genital papilla, and the enlargement of the testes. Only males of at least 1-f years and 40 mm or longer appeared to be sexually mature, according to color- ation and condition of the testes. The largest males probably do most or all of the spawning. Reproductive Cycle of the Female Generally the largest females devel- oped the earliest mature ova and prob- ably contributed most to the spawning effort. Females as short as or shorter than 34 mm and 1 year of age devel- oped mature ova and were potential spawners. Females underwent some changes in coloration associated with the breeding season. In contrast to males and non- ijreeding individuals, the breeding fe- male had 9 or 10 distinct vertical bars of a dark bluish-purple color with light greenish flecks in the spaces between the bars. The cheek and opercle con- tained bright spots of golden green, but the fins were relatively clear and not dusky. Some females retained a diffuse ocellus in the posterior rays of the dor- sal fin. As in males, the iris was bright red. Other marked morphological changes were the distended belly caused by the maturing ova and the enlarge- ment of the genital papilla (Fig. 4). Enlargement of the papilla was notice- able only in ripe females. Small white ova were present in fe- males 1+ years of age and 35 mm long as early as September but were difficult to distinguish in younger and smaller females. By January and February larger yellowish ova were foinid in 1+- year females of 40 mm or longer. Large, coarse, matiuing orange ova were pres- ent from March to May in larger and older females and in some smaller fe- males over 34 mm and approaching 1 year of age. Just prior to spawning time, the mature ova ijecame a translu- cent orange. The largest and oldest females pro- duced the largest number of mature ova. In 14 ripe females collected in April and May the number of ova var- ied from 219 to approximately 1,600 (Table 6) . For these females the rela- tionship between the number of ma- ture ova (F) and the adjusted body weight (W) was F = -50.94 + 210.70W, with r = 0.818, and between the num- ber of mature ova and the standard length (L) was log F = -2.785 + 3.383 log L, with r = 0.663. Ovaries of postspawning females col- lected in June were smaller than those of females collected in April and May. They averaged slightly heavier than ovaries from females collected in March. Ovaries from females taken in Jidy and August were small. A relative increase in ovary size was evident by late fall and continued to the spawning period the following spring (Fig. 6) . For the females examined, the relation- ship between the weight of the ovaries divided by the adjusted body weight (V) and the month (X) , with July = 1 and May = 11. was log Y = 0.699 + 0.()99X, with r = 0.782 (Fig. 6) . The jjroportionally largest ovaries (equaling 30.8 percent of the adjusted body weight) were foimd in a 51 -mm, 2- year-old female collected on 27 April 1974 (UT 90.140). In the 14 females represented in Table 6, overy-weight- to-adjusted-body-weight ratios ranged from 0.070 to 0.308 and averaged 0.107. 452 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 31, Art. 10 Table 6.—Relationship between size, age, and ovary weight of Lepomis symmetricus fe- males and the number of mature ova produced. An age of 1 year = 1 1 — 13 months, 2 years = 23-25 months. Data from TCWC 3643, UT 90.140, and INHS 17583, as well as that from Wolf Lake, are included. Standard Length in mm Adjusted Body Weight in Grams* Ovary Weight Number of Mature (orange or translucent, 0.6-0.9 mm) Ova 34 Sept., 1977 Burr: The Bantam Sunfish, Lepomis Svmmetricus 453 Table 7.—Collections of breeding Lepomis symmetricus. Locality Collection Date Remarks Wolf Lake, Union Co., 111. (INHS 75020, 75021) Pine Hills Swamp, Union Co.. 111. (INHS 17583) Illinois River, Tazewell Co., 111. (INHS 75006) Swamp, Haywood Co., Tenn. (UT 90.140) Reelfoot Lake, Lake Co., Tenn. (FMNH 80532) Roadside Ditch, Bradley Co., Ark. (UT 90.116) (mVR74-8) Ouachita River, Union Co., Ark. (NLU 31455) Big Hill Oil Field, Jefferson Co., Tex. (TCWC 3643) Marsh, Orleans Parish, La. (NLU 29918) Creek, Avoyelles Parish, La. (NLU 31572) 24 April-30 May 1974 27 May 1965 2 June 1880 27 April 1974 8 April 1950 23 May 1974 25 April 1975 2 May 1970 15 April 1974 20 April 1975 Males and females in extreme breeding condition. Female in breeding condition. Females in breeding condition. Males and females in extreme breeding condition. Males and females in breeding condition. Male and female in breeding condition. Females in extreme breeding condition. Males and females in breeding condition. Males and females in breeding condition. Males in breeding condition. When he approached the female, he abruptly turned himself to a vertical position (with his snout pointing up- ward) and gently swam around her in a close circle while fanning his tail. Similar courtship patterns were de- scribed by Larimore (1957) for L. gu- losus. After 7 days of constant nipping, nudging, badgering, and displaying other prenuptial behavior, the male had succeeded in completely mutilat- ing the uncooperative female's caudal fin, and on the 8th day the female was found dead. Even though an actual egg-laying session did not take place, it is evident that the nest building and prespawning behavior of L. symmetri- cus does not vary greatly from that de- scribed for other species of Lepomis summarized by Breder & Rosen (1966) . DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH Mature ova ranged in size from 0.6 to 0.9 mm in diameter, were translu- cent orange, and contained a single oil droplet. No data are available on incu- bation temperatures of eggs, the length of time required for hatching, or the morphology of hatchlings. The smallest L. symmetricus individ- ual from the study area was 12 mm, collected 21 June 1973 (Fig. 3). At this size the nape, breast, and sides of the head were the only regions incom- pletely scaled, but no definite pigment pattern was present. Small melano- phores outlined the scale borders on the body and some of the fin rays but were concentrated heavily on the top of the head, on the lips, and around the eye. The soft dorsal fin ocellus was just beginning to develop (Fig. 3) . A series of 43 young L. symmetricus from 14.0 mm to 25.0 mm was collected in the study area on 25 July 1973. At 14 mm squamation patterns were like that at 12 mm, but many more melano- phores were present in the fins and they began to form patterns on the body. The ocellus was dark at this size. At 19 mm vague vertical bars had formed, and squamation was nearly complete. At 25 mm the lateralis sys- tem was developed, and the overall pig- ment pattern was similar to that of 454 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 31, Art. 10 adults. Squaniaiion was complete at this stage. At a slightly larger size ju- veniles began to take on the form, pattern, and coloration illustrated in Fig. 3. L. symmetrkrLs from Wolf Lake grew at a decreasing rate (Fig. 7) and reached I • I 21 Y= 5.91+ 32.97 LOG X 22 21 54 36 58 Fig. 7—Size distribution by age of Lepomis symmetricus collected in Wolf Lake between 21 June 1973 and 30 May 1974. Data from 27 May 1975 and 12 December 1974 are included. Black dots represent sample means for both sexes combined. In total, 233 speci- mens are represented. one-half of the first year's mean growth in approximately 10 weeks. The rela- tionship between standard length (Y) and age in months (X) expressed for the sexes combined is Y = 5.91 + 32.97 log X, with r = 0.943. Males grew at a slightly more rapid rate than females but were not significantly larger than females. At 13-18 months males aver- aged 45.9 mm and females averaged 42.7 mm (t = 1.39, df = 11) . At 19-24 months males averaged 49.3 mm and females averaged 47.5 mm (t = 1.00, df = 14). The largest specimen exam- ined from Wolf Lake was a 63.0-mm female collected 25 July 1973. In other parts of its range L. symmelricus is known to attain a greater length, and specimens as long as 75.5 mm have ijeen collected (TU 148—St. Tam- many Parish, Louisiana) . Based on the collections examined, such large size is imusual, with most adidts rang- ing between 55 and 60 mm. DEMOGRAPHY Density The nature of the habitat of L. sym- metricus made population density mea- surements difficult, since submerged logs, brush, and vegetation prevented thorough sampling of a given area. However, on two occasions approx- imately 5 months apart quantitative samples of L. symmelricus were taken in Wolf Lake by repeatedly seining a measured shallow margin of the lake until no more individuals could be collected. The number collected was translated into the number per square meter. The greatest density found for L. symmetricus in Wolf Lake was 0.69 sunfish per square meter (Table 8) . In the nearby LaRue-Pine Hills swamp, the density of L. symmetricus may approach 0.72 sunfish per square meter (Table 8) or, at best, 1 individ- Table 8.—Number of Lepomis symmetricus psr square meter collected in vegetated mar- gins of Wolf Lake and LaRue-Pine Hills swamp. Number ofL. symmetricus Number per square "^"^ Collected mclcr in Wolf Lake and Pine Hills L'.5 October 1973, Burr: The Bantam Sunfish, Lepomis SvmmetricusSept., 1977 However, more than 80 percent of the individuals were captured at one site where the habitat was judged to be op- timal (Boyd et al. 1975). Gunning & Lewis (1955) found that L. symmetri- cus made up 5 percent of their total sample of fishes at Pine Hills. Composition Of the 233 L. symmetricus collected in Wolf Lake, 85.4 percent were up to 1 year of age, 12.4 percent were over I and up to 2 years of age, 0.8 percent were over 2 and up to 3 years of age, and 1.2 percent were over 3 years of age (Table 9) . Table 9.—Distribution of sexes and year classes in samples of Lepomis symmetricus collected in Wolf Lake between 21 June 1973 and 30 May 1974, and on 27 May 1975 and 12 December 1974. Sex 456 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 31, Art. 10 Twenty-nine of these contained no food items and eight contained green algal material. A large variety of food orga- nisms was found (Tables 1 1-14) . The predominant food items of the Wolf Lake population were gastropods, cla- docerans, ostracods, ampliipods, dragon- fly naiads, chironomids, and ceratopo- gonids. Small L. symmclriciis (less than 21 mm) fed predominantly on microcrus- tacea, dragonfly naiads, and chirono- mids; large individuals (more than 40 mm) fed primarily on gastropods, dragonfly naiads, and ampliipods (Ta- bles 11 and 12). Some seasonal vari- ation in diet (Tables 13 and 14) was evident. Gastropods were eaten in the winter and spring months. The largest percentages of most food items, includ- ing gastropods, stratiomyids, chirono- mids, and some microcrustacea, were eaten in the months prior to and dur- ing the spawning season, presumably reflecting an increase in consumption associated with spawning preparedness (Page 1974:17). Aquatic Hemiptera were eaten exclusively in the summer months, when they were most abun- dant. The presence in the diet of the exclusively terrestrial hemiteran family Fulgoridae reflects surface feeding by Table 1 1 .—Stomach contents of Lepom'is symmetricus from Wolf Lake, by size class of sunfish. Figures in parentheses are numbers of stomachs examined. Sept., 1977 Burr: The Bantam Sunfish, Lepomis S'^mmetricus Table 12.—Stomach contents of Lepomis symmetricus from Wolf Lake, by size sunfish. Figures in parentheses are numbers of stomachs examined. 457 class of 458 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 31, Art. 10 pomis (including the introduced L. auritus) except L. gibbosus, from which it is geographically separated. Because of its preferred habitat of heavily vege- tated, shallow, lentic or slow-moving water and its relative abundance there, it is doubtful that the species is geo- graphically limited to a great degree by its several congeners. Predation There are no literature reports of predation on L. symmelricus and no evidence of such predation was found in the Wolf Lake study. As potential predators five Microplerus sahn aides (71.6-240.3 mm SL) , four Pomoxis nigromaculalus (76.4-144.8 mm SL) , one P. annularis (141.1 mm SL) , five Lepomis gulosus (19.7-127.4 mm SL) , four L. macrochirus (131.8-140.1 mm SL), one Centrarchiis macropterus (82.4 mm SL) , and one Iclahirus natalis (124.8 mm SL) were preserved and later examined for ingested L. symmel- ricus. These predators were collected from all months of the year except July and December. A number of large gar (Lepisosteiis onilalits, L. plaiostomus) were seen during the summer and fall months but were not collected. Per- haps these large, relatively common Table 13.—Stomach contents of Lepomis symmetricus from Wolf Lake by month of col- lection." Figures in parentheses are numbers of stomachs examined. Sept., 1977 Burr; The Bantam Sunfish, Lf.pomis Symmetricus 459 predators take some toll on the Wolf hybridization are small (Hubbs 1955: Lake population of L. symmetricus. 2, 18) . Hybridization Schwartz (1972) did not report any accounts of hybridization involving L. symmetricus. No evidence of hybrid- ization was found in the Wolf Lake study area or in specimens examined from elsewhere. The small size of L. symmetricus, its preference for shallow, vegetated water, and its distinct breed- ing coloration probably preclude mis- mating of the parental species. Since there is ample habitat available in Wolf Lake and the fishes are presum- ably not imduly crowded, chances of Parasitism The Wolf Lake study population was rather heavily parasitized by plerocer- coids of the cestode Haplobolhriiim globuliforme. These plerocercoids oc- cinred in a total of 44 of 176 stomachs (25 percent) examined. From one to five plerocercoids were found in each stomach. Usually the highest numbers occurred in stomachs of the —1 year class. Specimens were found during all months of the year except May and fune. The plerocercoid stage of H. globuliforme normally encysts in the Table 14.—Stomach contents of Lepomis symmetricus from Wolf Lake by month of col- lection." Figures in parentheses are numbers of stomachs examined. 460 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 31. Art. 10 liver of fishes and has been reported from a number of other fishes in both this and the adult stage (Hoffman 1967: 233) . No adults were found in the study population. One adult specimen of the acantho- cephalan Pomphorynclms bulbicolli was found in the stomach of an L. syrn- metricus collected 24 April 1974 at Wolf Lake. Neither the cestode nor the acanthocephalan had been known to parasitize L. synimetricus. Dolley (1933) reported cestodes and trematodes from "Lepomis symmelricus in the St. Joseph River of Michigan," but the misidentification of the host species is obvious, since L. symmetricus has never occurred in Michigan. Hoff- man (1967) , who compiled a list of fish parasites, cited for L. symmetricus the trematodes Actinocleidus symmetri- cus, Cleidodiscus diversus, and Ancho- radiscus triangularis. Dr. Mary H. Pritchard informed me that Hoffman (1967) evidently cited as the species name {A. symmetricus) that of the host instead of the parasite and that "A. symmetricus" does not exist. She also noted that Cleidodiscus diversus was described from Lepomis cyanellus and tliat its listing for L. symmetricus was an error in the 1964 Index-Catalogue, Trematoda and Trematode Diseases, Part 2, that was perpetuated by Hoff- man (1967) and the 1969 Index- C^atalogue. One collection examined during this study from Texas (TCWC 3643) col- lected 2 May 1970 was heavily infested (all 32 specimens in the lot) with a monogenetic trematode, presumably Anchoradiscus triangularis. No exter- nal parasites were observed during the present study. SUMMARY The life-history information on L. symmetricus collected in Wolf Lake be- tween 2 June 1973 and 27 May 1975 is summarized in Table 15. Table 15.—Summary of life-history information on Wolf Lake Lepomis symmetricus. Characteristics Life-History Data Principal habitat Age at reaching sexual maturity Size at reaching sexual maturity Sexual dimorphism Number of mature ova in preserved females Description of egg Spawning period Spawning habitat Spawning site Influence of sex on growth rate Density Sex ratio among young Longevity Maximum size Principal diet Shallow, heavily vegetated margins of standing water 1 year Females about 34 mm; males about 40 mm Adult males are darker on the head and body have duskier pelvic fins and longer pelvic fins; females tend to have more distinct vertical bars 219-1,600 About 0.8 mm in diameter, translucent orange From mid-Apiil to early June Presumably in shallow water, over soft mud bot- tom, near plant material Shallow nest depression, about 90-120 mm in di- ameter X'irlually none Lip to 0.69 sunfish per square meter L5 females : 1 male 3-1- years 63.0 mm standard length Aquatic gastropods, insect immatures, and micro- crustaceans LITERATURE CITED AcKERMAN. 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Keys to the verte- brates of the eastern United States, excluding birds. Burgess Publishing Company, Minne- apolis, iii + 256 p. INDEX Adjusted body weight, 438, 452 Age attained {see longevity) Age composition, 455 Aging method, 438 Associated species {sec species associates) B Breetling dates {see locations and dates of bleeding) Bleeding male, 443. 450^51 jiaenilc, 444 Largest specimen examined, 442, 445 Lcctotypc designation, 442 Life history in Wolf Lake. 449^60 Locations and dates of breeding, 452^53 Longevity, 455 M Museum abbreviations, 437 Collecting methods, 438 Coloration {see description) Competition, 457-458 Conservation status, 448-449 Ovarian size and weight variation, 451-452 Density per square meter, 454, 455 Demography, 454^55 Description coloration, 443-445 general, 443—445 Development and growth, 453^54 Diagnosis, 442-443 Diet general, 455-459 of young, 456-457 seasonal variation, 456, 458-459 Distribution, geographic, (iv) Drainages, 445-447 Eggs number of, 451^52 Genital papillae, 445, 450-451 Geographic distribution {see distribution, geographic) Growth {see development and growth) H Habitat, 449-450 Hatching {see development and growth) Hybridization, 459 I Illinois Fish Code, 438 Interactions with other organisms, 457^50 Parasitism, 459^60 Predation, 458-459 Prejuvenile, 444 Relationships, 446, 450 Relative survival, 455 Relative survival calculation, 439 Reproductive cycle of female, 451 of male, 450^51 Sexual differences {see variation, sexual) Size distribution, 454 Spawning, 4.52^53 Species associates, 450 Specimens studied, 446-447 Study area, 449 Survival {see relative survival) Synonymies and synonyms, 439—440 Syntopic species of sunfishes, 457^58 Types, 440, 442 \'ariation allometric, 445 geographic, 440-442, 445^446 meristic, 440-441, 445 morphometric, 442 ontogenetic, 444-445 sexual, 445 465 466 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 31, Art. 10 Eleanore Wilson, Junior Professional Scientist RoBKRT D. Crompton, Field Assistant James W. Seets. Technical Assistant Supporting Services Wli.MA G. DiLLMAK, Property Control and Trust Accounts Patty L. Ditzan, Technical Assistant Robert O. Eli-is, Assistant for Operations Larry D. Gross, Operations Assistant |. WiLijAM LusK, Mailing and Distribution Service!, Jerry McNear, Operations Assistant CONSULTANTS AND RESEARCH AFFILIATES : SYsTRMAtic Entomology, Roderick R. Irwin, Chicago, Illinois; Wildlife Research, Willard D. Klimstra, Ph.D., Professor of Zoology and Director of Cooperative Wildlife Research, Southern Illinois Univernity; PARASiTOLOtjy. Norman D. Levine, Ph.D., Professor of Vetemnary Parasitology, Veterinary Research and Zoology and Director of the Center for Human Ecology, University of Illinois; Entqmolouy, Robert L. Metcalf, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Research Professor of Entomology , University of Illinois; and Gilbert P. Waldbauer, Ph.D., Pro- fessor of Entomology, University of Illinois; Statistics, Horace W. Norton, Ph.D., Professor of Statis- tical Design and Analysis, University of Illinois. Melvin E. Schwartz. Fiscal Officer Dennis Waller, Stockroom Manager Publications and Public Relations Robert M. Zewadski, M.S., Technical Editor Shirley McClellan. Assistant Technical Editor Lawrence S. Farlow, Technical Photographer liLOYD LeMere, Technical Illustrator Technical Library Doris X.^^,Sublette, M.S.L.S., Technical Librarian Some Publications of the ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY BULLETIN Volume 31, Article 3.—Nutritional Responses of Pheasants to Corn, with Special Refer- ence to High-Lysine Corn. By Ronald F. Labisky and William L. Anderson. July, 1973. 26 p., index. Volume 31, Article 4.—An Urban Epiphytotic of Phloem Necrosis and Dutch Elm Dis- ease, 194i-1972. By J. Cedric Carter and Lucile Rogers Carter. May, 1974. 31 p., index. Volume 31, Article 5.—Larvae of the Seri- eothripini (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), with Reference to Other Larvae of the Tere- brantia, of Illinois. By Thomas C. Vance. August, 1974. 64 p., index. Volume 31, Article 6.—Root Infection of Woody Hosts with Verticillium albo-atrum. By Gerald L. Born. August, 1974. 41 p., inde.v. Volume 31, Article 7.—The Mecoptera, or Scorpionflies, of Illinois. By Donald W. Webb, Norman D. Penny, and John C. Marlin. August, 1975. 66 p., index. Volume 31, Article 8.—An Eleetrofishing Sur- vey of the Illinois River, 1959-1974. By Richard E. Sparks and William C. Starrett. August, 1975. 64 p., index. Volume 31, Article 9.—Pesticides and En- vironmental Quality in Illinois. By Robert L. Metcalf and James R. Sanborn. August, 1975. 56 p., index. BIOLOGICAL NOTES 91.—The Distribution of Periodical Cicadas in Illinois. By Lewis J. Stannard, Jr. February, 1975. 12 p. 92.—The Literature of Arthropods Associated with Soybeans. IV. A Bibliography of the Velvetbean Caterpillar Aniicarsia gemma- talis Hubner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). By B. J. Ford, J. R. Strayer, J. Reid, and G. L. Godfrey. February, 1975. 15 p. 93.—The Life History of the Stripetail Darter, Etheostoma Icennicotti, in Big Creek, Illinois. By Lawrence M. Page. February, 1975. 15 p. 94.—Illinois Pheasants: Their Distribution and Abundance, 1958-1973. By Ronald F. Labisky. February, 1975. 11 p. 95.—The Nest Biology of the Bee Andrena (Ptilandrena) erigeniae Robertson (Hy- menoptera: Andrenidae). By Lloyd E. Davis, Jr., and Wallace E. LaBerge. June, 1975. 16 p. 96.—Apparatus and Procedure for Extracting Corn Rootworm Eggs from Soil. By John T. Shaw, Robert 0. Ellis, and .W. H. Luckmann. February, 1976. 4 p. 97.—Environmental Evaluations Using Birds and Their Habitats. By Jean W. Graber and Richard R. Graber. May, 1976. 39 p. 98.— Effects of Potassium on Adult Asiatic Clams, Corbicula manilensis. By Kevin B. Anxlerson, Carl M. Thompson, Richard E. Sparks, and Anthony A. Paparo. July, 1976. 7 p. 99.—The Life History of the Slabrock Darter, Etheostoma smithi, in Ferguson Creek, Ken- tucky. By Lawrence M. Page and Brooks M. Burr. December, 1976. 12 p. 100.—Some Unusual Natural Areas in Illinois. By Robert A. Evers and Lawrence M. Page. June, 1977. 47 p. 101.—A Bibliography of the Northern Corn Rootworm and the Western Corn Rootworm: An Updating through 1976. By Bonnie J. Irwin. June, 1977. 8 p. CIRCULAR 51.—Illinois Trees: Selection, Planting and Care. By J. Cedric Carter. August, 1966. 123 p. 52.—Fertilizing and Watering Trees. By Dan Neely and E. B. Himelick. December, 1971. (Third printing.) 20 p. 54.—Corn Rootworm Pest Management in Canning Sweet Corn. By W. H. Luckmann, J. T. Shaw, D. E. Kuhlman, R. Randell, and C. D. LeSar. March, 1975. 10 p. List of available publications mailed on request No charge is made for publications of the Illinois Natural History Survey. A single copy of most publications will be sent free to anyone requesting it until the supply becomes low. Costly publications, more than one copy of a publication, and publications in short supply are subjects for special correspondence. Such correspondence should identify the writer and explain the use to be made of the publication or publications. Address orders and correspondence to the Chief, Illinois Natural History Survey Natural Resources Building, Urbana. Illinois 6180!