Black Bass Diversity: Multidisciplinary Science for Conservation

Alabama Bass Micropterus henshalli Hubbs & Bailey, 1940

Steven J. Rider and Michael J. Maceina

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874400.ch10

The Alabama Bass Micropterus henshalli was recently elevated as a new black bass species by Baker et al. (2008). This species was originally recognized as one of three subspecies of Spotted Bass M. punctulatus and classified as the Alabama Spotted Bass M. p. henshalli (Hubbs and Bailey 1940; Vogele 1975). Greek in origin, the genus Micropterus means small fin, while this species is named for Dr. James A. Henshall, a medical doctor, sportsman, and naturalist known as the “apostle of the black bass” (Hubbs and Bailey 1940).

Prior to species recognition, morphological, allozyme, and mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed that Alabama Spotted Bass and Spotted Bass were not closely related (Kassler et al. 2002), which at the time suggested that taxonomic revision was necessary. Kassler et al. (2002) postulated that Alabama Spotted Bass was more closely related and may be considered a sister taxon to the Redeye Bass M. coosae, which has recently been supported by Bagley et al. (2011).

The Alabama Bass has higher scale and gill raker counts, narrower head, smaller scale width and tooth patch, on average, than the Spotted Bass. However, the location of the dorsolateral blotches coupled and lateral stripe pigmentation provide the most reliable characteristics to differentiate these two species in the field (Baker et al. 2008). The dorsolateral blotches on Alabama Bass do not touch the first dorsal fin but do touch the first dorsal fin on Spotted Bass. While the Alabama Bass lateral stripe ends in a series of blotches on the caudal peduncle, it forms a solid dark line on the Spotted Bass.