Editing Centrarchidae (section)

== Description ==
Family members are distinguished by having a laterally compressed body shape, 6 to 9 anal spines, and 2 dorsal fins (spinous first dorsal and rayed second dorsal) which are fused.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |title=Peterson field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico |date=2011 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |last2=Burr |first2=Brooks M. |last1=Page |first1=Lawrence M. |isbn=9780547242064 |edition=2nd |location=Boston |oclc=651912235}}</ref> The number of dorsal spines varies from 6 to 13. All species in ''Micropterus'' and ''Lepomis'' have 3 anal spines, which distinguishes them from the other genera in the family.<ref name=":6" />  The [[pseudobranch]] is small and concealed. Body size varies widely within the family with the [[Enneacanthus chaetodon|black-banded sunfish]] at just {{convert|8|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length, while the [[largemouth bass]] is reported to reach almost {{convert|1|m|ft|abbr=on}} in extreme cases.<ref name="EoF">{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Fishes|author1=Johnson, G.D.|author2=Gill, A.C.|publisher=Academic Press|year=1998|isbn=978-0-12-547665-2|editor=Paxton, J.R. |location=San Diego|pages=187|editor2=Eschmeyer, W.N.}}</ref>

Many of the species within Centrarchidae can be separated into two main groups based on the two most common genera (''[[Micropterus]]'' and ''[[Lepomis]]''). Species in the genera ''Lepomis'' are defined by a deep or more round body shape, smaller mouths, and obtaining food through [[Aquatic feeding mechanisms|suction feeding]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last1=Soes |first1=Menno |last2=Cooke |first2=Steven |last3=van Kleef |first3=H.H. |last4=Broeckx |first4=P.B. |last5=Veenvliet |first5=P. |date=March 21, 2010 |title=A risk analysis of sunfishes (Centrarchidae) and pygmy sunfishes (Elassomatidae) in the Netherlands |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276255387 |publisher=Bureau of Waardenburg bv |id=Report nr 11-042 |pages=1–110 |via=ResearchGate}}</ref> Species in the genera ''Micropterus'' are defined by a more streamlined body shape, larger mouths, and consuming prey primarily by [[Aquatic feeding mechanisms|ram feeding]] methods.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />