Hello there! I figured it would be appropriate to post something here on iNaturalist for those wondering, ‘Why does that Koaw guy keep posting so many photos of sunfishes?!’ (FYI, Koaw rhymes with boa.)

Let me explain why so many of these lepomids are posted on my iNat lately:

Some months back I sort of decided that there wasn’t really a great easy-to-use identification guide that was free-to-the-public and encompassed all the sunfishes in genus Lepomis as well as their hybrids. Basically, I’m throwing together a guide that will have a web site version as well as videos to give more vivid descriptions of these beautiful little fishes and help people understand a bit more of the complexity that goes into hybrid identifications.

There’s been a lot of research gone into this project as well as lots of fishing. So far I’ve sampled hundreds of specimens and collected data, photos and video of 9 of the 13 species currently recognized as sunfishes within the genus Lepomis. Tomorrow I’m heading westerly to collect photos and data of the remaining four species that I need: Lepomis peltastes, L. humilis, L. miniatus & L. symmetricus.

I’ve been much appreciative to the support and knowledge that’s been shared from other fishers, researchers and the community here on iNaturalist. Just seeing many of the observations posted has helped me better understand population differences across regions. I’ve been fortunate to have @uconnbirdfish , a fisheries biologist who has extensive experience with lepomids as well as their hybrids, agree to be a senior advisor on this project. I’m also grateful to @ncangling for guiding me to 2 species in North Carolina as well as @ray163 for supplying great insight on the local populations in his area as well as sharing photos for the guide.

If you are willing to share your photos of observations to be a part of the guide then that is great! Your name credit will be put on any photo used on the website or in a video. Just send me a message here on iNaturalist! I'm open to hearing other insight, suggestions or whatnot about sunfishes.

Thanks for your time! Good luck with your observations and adventures in the Great Outdoors!
-Koaw

Posted on September 14, 2020 06:40 PM by koaw