Dollar Sunfish

The dollar sunfish is a small sunfish species, achieving a length of 4–5 inches (10–13 cm) as an adult. Like longear sunfish, the dark ear flap on the operculum is outlined in white. There are bright blue lines that start near the fish's mouth and extend, often discontinuously, through the operculum. The dollar sunfish typically has twelve rays on each of its pectoral fins. Its lateral line is often faintly outlined in red. The caudal fin has a shallow fork. During the spawning season, males will develop brighter coloration, with deep orange color appearing along the belly accompanied by ventral extension of the rows of iridescent scales found on the body.

Historically, the dollar sunfish has been found along Southern Atlantic coastal drainages from North Carolina to Florida, and extending west to Texas. The species is most common in the southeastern United States, becoming increasingly uncommon in the western part of its range Its current range in North America is the Tar River in North Carolina to Brazos River in Texas in the US; the former Mississippi Embayment in the US from western Kentucky and eastern Arkansas south to Gulf of Mexico. There have been a few records of the dollar sunfish in the Tennessee and Mississippi river drainage. However, due to its great similarity in appearance to younger specimens of the longear sunfish, L. megalotis, the distribution of L. marginatus has not been well understood in certain portions of its range.

The micro-distribution of the dollar sunfish is characterized by a pH of 7–7.8 and a temperature of 16–28 °C (61–82 °F).

The spawning season of the dollar sunfish occurs in the spring, from April–October at water temperatures of 16.8–25.6 degrees Celsius; peak spawning activity during late spring and summer. Their nests are solitary, usually adjacent to logs or some other structure; nests range from 30–94 cm in diameter, are 15–20 cm deep at center, and are usually constructed over sand. Usually the males will make the nest on a hard sand substrate. Females produce an average of 3302 eggs, with a range of 322–9206, depending on their body size. Individuals in Carolina are mature at age two and have a life span of six years.