. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1990 HOUSTON: Status of the Redbreast Sunfish 65. Figure 1. Redbreast Sunfish, Lepomis auritus [drawing by P. Buerschaper, from Scott and Grossman (1973) by permission]. 1973). It may have a wider distribution, but because it is small and may readily be confused with other sunfishes, particularly the Pumpkin- seed, its correct identification could have often been overlooked. One would expect, however, that serious collectors would have noted its presence. Protection No specific protection measures are offered the species although general protection is given und
. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1990 HOUSTON: Status of the Redbreast Sunfish 65. Figure 1. Redbreast Sunfish, Lepomis auritus [drawing by P. Buerschaper, from Scott and Grossman (1973) by permission]. 1973). It may have a wider distribution, but because it is small and may readily be confused with other sunfishes, particularly the Pumpkin- seed, its correct identification could have often been overlooked. One would expect, however, that serious collectors would have noted its presence. Protection No specific protection measures are offered the species although general protection is given under the Fisheries Act and the New Brunswick Provincial Endangered Species Act. Population Sizes and Trends Very little information is available on the distribution and abundance of the Redbreast Sunfish in New Brunswick. Collection records for the species are presented in Table 1. It has been suggested that the species has been known in New Brunswick since at least 1896 (Cox 1896). The first authentic record dates from 1948 (Scott and Crossman 1973). The rarity of records may be indicative of natural rarity of a peripheral species, or could be due to lack of interest in the species and confusion with the Pumpkinseed. The more probable situation is likely to be a combination of these factors. No recent records (1980 on) are indicated but the species has definitely been taken in Oromocto Lake at various times between 1960 and 1979. Habitat The Redbreast Sunfish appears to be adaptive to a wide range of habitats. In New Brunswick, the species inhabits streams and lakes with rocky bottoms. In streams they occupy the slower deeper areas over rocks and gravel, in lakes they occur most abundantly on rocky shoals or in deeper, quieter water with sand or mud bottoms and emergent vegetation (Scott and Crossman 1973). The species tends to be more of a riverine species than other sunfishes (Lee 1980) and the description of nesting sites in Pennsylvania (Buynak and Mohr 1978) indicates that
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