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Both the Guadalupe Bass’s common and scientific names are misnomers. Like all “black bass,” including smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass, the fish is not actually a bass at all; rather, a member of the sunfish family. The “micropterus” in its scientific name is Greek for “small fin,” referring to the misinterpreted damaged fin of an early specimen.
Generally green with black markings, the Guadalupe bass is smaller than other black bass, the largest individuals weighing only around 3.5 pounds. Found only in Texas, the fish are native to the Edwards Plateau, inhabiting streams in the Brazos, Colorado, Guadalupe and San Antonio River basins. The species generally prefers quick moving waters, and preys on insects, crustaceans and smaller fish.
Like the smallmouth and spotted bass, male Guadalupe bass build gravel nests, usually in shallow water. A female enticed to the nest lays between 400 to as many as 9,000 eggs before the male chases her off and begins guarding the spawn. After hatching, the young feed primarily on insects, adding other fish to their diet as they grow. They reach sexual maturity after a year.
Officially the State Fish of Texas, the Guadalupe bass currently finds itself in dire straights, threatened by increasing hybridization with introduced smallmouth bass, especially in the Blanco River. A recent study by Texas State University and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department found that over half the bass in the Blanco River were hybrids and collected no pure Guadalupe bass at all.
The protection of this emblematic species is a key component of the Conservancy’s freshwater projects on the Blanco, Pedernales, Frio, Nueces and Sabinal rivers.
Nature picture credits: Paul Berquist.
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