Editing Centrarchidae (section)

== Evolution ==
As their name suggests, sunfishes are most closely related to the pygmy sunfishes ([[Elassomatidae]]), which also occur in North America. Together, these two families are sister to the Chinese perches ([[Sinipercidae]]) of East Asia. These three families are among the few temperate [[Northern Hemisphere]] members of the order [[Centrarchiformes]] (primarily found in the [[Southern Hemisphere]] and the tropics), and share the suborder [[Centrarchoidei]] with a group of temperate Southern Hemisphere fishes that include the [[jutjaw]], [[Old wife|oldwife]], and the Australian [[Temperate perch|temperate perches]].<ref name="ECoF" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lavoué |first=Sébastien |last2=Nakayama |first2=Kouji |last3=Jerry |first3=Dean R. |last4=Yamanoue |first4=Yusuke |last5=Yagishita |first5=Naoki |last6=Suzuki |first6=Nobuaki |last7=Nishida |first7=Mutsumi |last8=Miya |first8=Masaki |date=2014-10-01 |title=Mitogenomic phylogeny of the Percichthyidae and Centrarchiformes (Percomorphaceae): comparison with recent nuclear gene-based studies and simultaneous analysis |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0378111914008166 |journal=Gene |volume=549 |issue=1 |pages=46–57 |doi=10.1016/j.gene.2014.07.033 |issn=0378-1119}}</ref>

The earliest [[Fossil|fossils]] of Centrarchidae are from [[late Eocene|latest Eocene]] to [[early Oligocene]] deposits from [[Montana]] and [[South Dakota]], belonging to several as yet undescribed species. Two extinct genera are also known: †''[[Plioplarchus]]'' from the [[Rupelian|Early Oligocene]] to the [[Middle Miocene]] of the Dakotas & Oregon, and †''[[Boreocentrarchus]]'' from the [[Chattian|Late Oligocene]] or [[Early Miocene]] of southern Alaska (making it one of the northernmost known members of the family). Both ''Plioplarchus'' and ''Boreocentrarchus'' are classified in the subfamily Centrarchinae, because these species possess more than three anal fin spines.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781444316032 |title=Centrarchid Fishes |date=2009-05-28 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-4051-3342-5 |editor-last=Cooke |editor-first=S. J. |language=en |doi=10.1002/9781444316032 |editor-last2=Philipp |editor-first2=D. P.}}</ref>

=== Taxonomy ===
The family is classified as follows:<ref name="ECoF" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=CAS - Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: |url=https://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=researcharchive.calacademy.org |language=en}}</ref>

* Family '''Centrarchidae'''
** Subfamily [[Centrarchinae]]
*** ''[[Mud sunfish|Acantharchus]]'' <small>[[Theodore Nicholas Gill|Gill]], 1864</small>
*** ''[[Ambloplites]]'' <small>[[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque|Rafinesque]], 1820</small>
*** ''[[Archoplites]]'' <small>[[Theodore Nicholas Gill|Gill]], 1861</small>
*** ''[[Centrarchus]]'' <small>[[Georges Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1829</small>
*** ''[[Enneacanthus]]'' <small>Gill, 1864</small>
*** ''[[Pomoxis]]'' <small>Rafinesque, 1818</small>
*** †''[[Boreocentrarchus]]'' <small>[[Erich Maren Schlaikjer|Schlaikjer]], 1937</small> (fossil; late Oligocene/early Miocene of Alaska)
*** †''[[Plioplarchus]]'' <small>[[Edward Drinker Cope|Cope]], 1883</small> (fossil; Oligocene to Miocene of western North America)
** Subfamily [[Lepominae]]
*** ''[[Lepomis]]'' <small>[[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque|Rafinesque]], 1816</small>
*** ''[[Micropterus]]'' <small>[[Bernard Germain de Lacépède|Lacépède]], 1802</small>

=== Phylogeny ===
Recent genetic evidence suggests the following [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]] of the centrarchid genera and species:<ref name="roe">{{cite journal |last1=Roe |first1=Kevin J. |last2=Harris |first2=Phillip M. |last3=Mayden |first3=Richard L. |year=2002 |title=Phylogenetic relationships of the genera of North American sunfishes and basses (Percoidei: Centrarchidae) as evidenced by the mitochondrial cytochrome ''b'' gene |url=http://specifyassets.nhm.ku.edu/Ichthyology/originals/sp67800263772931021157.att.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Copeia |volume=2002 |issue=4 |pages=897–905 |doi=10.1643/0045-8511(2002)002[0897:protgo]2.0.co;2 |s2cid=86167841 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914124819/http://specifyassets.nhm.ku.edu/Ichthyology/originals/sp67800263772931021157.att.pdf |archive-date=2017-09-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Near, T. J. |author2=D. I. Bolnick |author3=P. C. Wainwright |name-list-style=amp |date=2005 |title=Fossil calibrations and molecular divergence time estimates in centrarchid fishes (Teleostei: Centrarchidae) |journal=Evolution |volume=59 |issue=8 |pages=1768–1782 |doi=10.1111/j.0014-3820.2005.tb01825.x |pmid=16329246 |doi-access=free}}</ref>{{clade| style=font-size:85%;line-height:80%
|label1='''Centrarchidae'''
|1={{clade
   |1=''[[Acantharchus pomotis]]'' [[File:Acantharchus pomotis (white background).jpg|70 px]]
   |2={{clade
      |label1='''Centrarchinae'''
      |1={{clade
         |1={{clade
            |label1=''Centrarchus''
            |1=''[[Centrarchus macropterus]]'' [[File:Centrarchus macropterus (white background).jpg|70 px]]}}
         |2={{clade
             |label1=''[[Enneacanthus]]''
             |1={{clade
                |1={{clade
                   |1=''[[Enneacanthus chaetodon]]''
                   |2={{clade
                         |1=''[[Enneacanthus gloriosus]]''
                         |2=''[[Enneacanthus obesus]]'' }} }} }} 
             |label2=Tribe Archoplitini
             |2={{clade
                |label1=''[[Pomoxis]]'' (crappies)
                |1={{clade
                   |1=''[[Pomoxis annularis]]'' [[File:White crappie pomoxis annularis (white background).jpg|70 px]]
                   |2=''[[Pomoxis nigromaculatus]]'' <span style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:Black Crappie.jpg|70 px]]</span>}}
               |2={{clade
                  |label1=''Archoplites''
                  |1={{clade
                    |1=''[[Archoplites interruptus]]''}}
                  |label2=''[[Ambloplites]]'' (rock basses)
                  |2={{clade
                     |1={{clade
                        |1=''[[Ambloplites ariommus]]''
                        |2=''[[Ambloplites rupestris]]'' <span style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:Rock Bass.jpg|70 px]]</span>}}
                     |2={{clade
                        |1=''[[Ambloplites cavifrons]]''
                        |2=''[[Ambloplites constellatus]]'' }} }} }} }} }} }}
      |label2='''Lepominae'''
      |2={{clade
            |label1=''[[Micropterus]]'' (black basses)
            |1={{clade
               |1={{clade
                  |1=''[[Micropterus dolomieu]]'' <span style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:Smallmouth bass.png|70 px]]</span>
                  |2=''[[Micropterus punctulatus]]''}}
               |2={{clade
                  |1=''[[Micropterus cataractae]]''
                  |2={{clade
                     |1=''[[Micropterus coosae]]''
                     |2={{clade
                        |1=''[[Micropterus notius]]'' [[File:Micropterus notius (white background).jpg|70 px]]
                        |2={{clade
                           |1=''[[Micropterus treculi]]''
                           |2={{clade
                              |1=''[[Micropterus salmoides]]'' [[File:Largemouth bass - DPLA - (white background).jpg|70 px]]
                              |2=''[[Micropterus floridanus]]''}} }} }} }} }} }}
            |label2=''[[Lepomis]]'' (true sunfish)
            |2={{clade
               |1={{clade
                  |1={{clade
                      |1=''[[Lepomis humilis]]'' [[File:Orangespottednctc (white background).png|70 px]]
                      |2=''[[Lepomis macrochirus]]'' <span style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:Lepomis macrochirus.jpg|70 px]]</span>}}
                  |2={{clade
                     |1={{clade
                        |1=''[[Lepomis gulosus]]'' [[File:Chaenobryttus gulosus (white background).jpg|70 px]]}}
                     |2={{clade
                        |1=''[[Lepomis symmetricus]]''
                        |2=''[[Lepomis cyanellus]]'' [[File:Lepomis cyanellus Raver (white background).jpg|70 px]]}} }} }}
              |2={{clade
                  |1={{clade
                     |1={{clade
                        |1=''[[Lepomis auritus]]'' [[File:Lepomis auritus (white background).jpg|70 px]]
                           |2={{clade
                              |1=''[[Lepomis marginatus]]''
                              |2={{clade
                                 |1=''[[Lepomis peltastes]]''
                                 |2=''[[Lepomis megalotis]]'' [[File:Lepomis megalotis2 (white background).jpg|70 px]]}} }} }}
                      |2={{clade
                         |1=''[[Lepomis gibbosus]]'' [[File:Lepomis gibbosus2 (white background).jpg|70 px]]
                         |2={{clade
                            |1=''[[Lepomis microlophus]]'' [[File:Redearsunfishnctc (white background).jpg|70 px]]
                            |2={{clade
                                 |1=''[[Lepomis punctatus]]''
                                 |2=''[[Lepomis miniatus]]'' }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}

The 5th edition of ''[[Fishes of the World]]'' recognises three subfamilies; the [[Lepominae]], which contains the genera ''Acantharchus'', ''Lepomis'', and ''Micropterus''; the [[Pygmy sunfish|Elassomatinae]], which consists solely of the highly distinct genus ''[[Elassoma]]'' (treated by [[Fishbase]] as a separate family, the Elassomatidae);<ref name="Fbe">{{FishBase family|family=Elassomatidae|month=December|year=2019}}</ref> and the [[Centrarchinae]], which contains all of the remaining genera.<ref name="Nelson5">{{cite book |author1=J. S. Nelson |url=https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |title=Fishes of the World |author2=T. C. Grande |author3=M. V. H. Wilson |publisher=Wiley |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-118-34233-6 |edition=5th |pages=444–446 |access-date=2020-05-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408194051/https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |archive-date=2019-04-08 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The more recent ''[[Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes]]'' again treats Elassomatidae as a distinct family, with Centrarchidae composed of Lepominae and Centrarchinae.<ref name="ECoF" />