Occupancy of home range by longear sunfish, Lepomis m. megalotis (Rafinesque), and bluegill, Lepomis m. macrochirus Rafinesque

Abstract

Summary 1. Size of home range in terms of linear feet of stream is estimated to be approximately 70 feet for the longear sunfish and approximately 125 feet for the bluegill. 2. The longer a given sunfish is at large subsequent to fin-clipping, the greater is the tendency for this fish to stray outside the limits of a restricted segment. 3. Older longear sunfish and bluegill appear to have larger home ranges than younger individuals. 4. Bluegill strays tend to move upstream. 5. Space-temporal aspects of home range must be considered concomitantly. 6. Short-term occupancy of home range by longear sunfish and bluegill is easily demonstrable; continuous occupancy for a period of several months is difficult to prove in that the number of recaptures diminishes greatly with the passage of time.