Yellow bass are listed as a species of special concern by Minnesota's List of Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern Species.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
No specific information is available regarding predators or anti-predator adaptations of yellow bass. Species in the same genus as yellow bass, such as white bass (Morone chrysops) and white perch (Morone americana) are preyed upon by species such as white bass, striped bass (Morone saxatilis), walleye (Sander vitreus), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), white perch, and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). Predation on white perch often occurs in their embryonic and larval stages, though is not uncommon during their juvenile stage, becoming less common in adults. It is likely that yellow bass have similar predators as other species in their genus due to their similarities in range and habitat.
The sides of this species are yellowish-silver in color and have seven lateral stripes that are black or brown and are located on the upper and middle sides of the body. The lower stripes are distinctly broken and offset near their middle. The dorsal area is olive green to olive-gray in color and the abdomen is white to yellow in color. The median fins of are dark to dusky in appearance and the paired fins are clear and white in color. The eyes of individuals are yellow in color. Yellow bass do not have teeth or a tongue. They have 9 to 10 anal fin soft rays, 47 to 55 scales in the lateral line, 19 to 25 gill rakers, 10 dorsal spines, 11 to 12 dorsal rays, 3 anal spines, and 15 to 16 pectoral rays. The body shape is moderately deep and is laterally compressed. The mouth position is terminal.
Yellow bass are distinguished from white bass (Morone chrysops) or young striped bass (Morone saxatilis) by their yellow belly color and the lowermost stripes on the body being distinctly broken and offset, as opposed to the silvery color and continuous lines found in the other two species. Yellow bass are easily differentiated from white perch (Morone americana) by their olive to yellow body color and lateral stripes (the latter species has silver-green sides and completely lacks lateral stripes). Yellow bass are also distinctive within the genus Morone because their second and third anal spines are approximately equal in length.
Range mass: 1.16 (high) kg.
Range length: 46 (high) cm.
Average length: 23.9 cm.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
The maximum known age of yellow bass is 7 years in the wild, though the maximum age attainable in captivity is unknown. Limiting factors and mortality rates are unknown.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 7 (high) years.
Yellow bass inhabit quiet pools and backwaters of small to large streams, lakes, and reservoirs. The best waters for yellow bass are those that have little vegetation, low turbidity, and high carp populations. They are a freshwater species that is demersal in nature, meaning that they live near or on the bottom of the lake or river. They occur in the subtropical region between 45 degrees north and 27 degrees north.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; freshwater
Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams; temporary pools
The range of yellow bass is restricted primarily to the Lake Michigan and Mississippi River basins from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico and the states in between. Native populations occur in areas of Oklahoma and Texas and extend as far east as central Tennessee. Yellow bass have also been introduced to other areas, including Arizona. This species is mainly found in lowland areas of its range.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Introduced , Native )
Yellow bass are primarily invertivores/carnivores that feed mid-water or near the surface. Young individuals feed primarily on small crustaceans and insects, though the diet of adults includes fish, including smaller individuals of their own species. The importance of aquatic insects in their diet may increase as individuals grow, but zooplankton make up a majority of their diet in some populations. This species has a well-defined feeding pattern, feeding shortly after dark and again at daylight.
Animal Foods: fish; insects; aquatic crustaceans; other marine invertebrates; zooplankton
Primary Diet: carnivore (Piscivore , Insectivore , Eats non-insect arthropods); planktivore
Yellow bass play an important role in the ecosystem as a predator and prey animal and also host a number of different parasitic trematodes, nematodes, and cestodes, acanthocephalans, and gill lice. The trematodes that infect them are Onchocleidus interruptus, Allacanthochasmus artus, Allacanthochasmus varius, Azygia angusticauda, Clinostomum complanatum, Diplostomulum, Neochasmus umbellus, Posthodiplostomum minimum, and Tetracotyle. The nematodes infect them are Camallanus oxycephalus, Camallanus, Contracaecum spiculigerum, Spinitectus gracilis, and Leptorhynchoides thecatus. The cestodes that infect them are Proteocephalus ambloplitis, Proteocephalus, and Trypanorhyncha. They are also infected by acanthocephalans (Neoechinorhynchus cylindratus) and gill lice (Ergasilus arthrosis).
Commensal/Parasitic Species:
Yellow bass are harvested for sport and food. They are not as sought after as other fish species such as white bass because of their smaller size. In the 1800's they were harvested commercially. It is conceivable that this species plays an important role in the regulation of insect and zooplankton populations.
Positive Impacts: food ; ecotourism
There are no known adverse effects of yellow bass on humans.
Eggs hatch 4 to 6 days after fertilization at a temperature of 21°C. Larvae absorb their yolk sac within four days of hatching. The developing larvae form schools and grow rapidly initially. Yellow bass in a lake in Tennessee reached an average length of almost 20 centimeters at the end of their first year.
Development - Life Cycle: indeterminate growth
Species in the genus Morone are able to perceive their environment through vision, hearing, chemoreception, and detection of vibrations with the lateral line system. Yellow bass are able to use these sensory systems to sense their environment and interact with conspecifics.
Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Other Communication Modes: vibrations
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; vibrations ; chemical
Individuals reach sexual maturity between 2 and 4 years in age, depending on their geographic location. Males often mature between 2 and 3 years in age, while females mature between 3 and 4 years in age. Females produce multiple clutches of eggs during each spawning period and produce offspring over multiple years. Yellow bass spawn in the spring (late April to early June) and are stimulated by a rise in water temperature. The spawn occurs at water temperatures from 14.5°C to 26°C. Females do not release all of their eggs in a single spawning, and each spawning is fertilized by multiple males.
Mating System: polyandrous
Yellow bass breed once yearly between late April and early June in tributary streams or lakes, over gravel or rock reefs. Females lay on their right side and eject eggs toward the male, who fertilizes them as they are released. The male stays upright during this event. Eggs are deposited on gravelly bottoms in waters that are 0.6 to 0.9 meters deep. Information on the number and size of offspring at birth is unavailable. Hybrids have been documented between female striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and male yellow bass. These hybrids are commonly known as paradise bass.
Breeding interval: Yellow bass breed once yearly.
Breeding season: Spawning occurs from late April to early June.
Range gestation period: 4 to 6 days.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 3 to 4 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 3 years.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2 to 3 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 3 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (External ); oviparous
Eggs are slightly adhesive, allowing them to stick to structures in the environment, such as aquatic plants. The eggs receive no care once fertilized.
Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female)
The yellow bass (Morone mississippiensis) is a member of the family Moronidae. This species is a deep bodied fish that possesses five to seven dark stripes laterally along the sides, the lowest few of these are often broken or disrupted anterior to the origin of the anal fin. This species is somewhat similar to two other species in the family Moronidae, the white bass and the striped bass. The yellow bass is distinguishable from both of these species by having the offset lateral stripes above the anal fin and from not possessing tooth patches on the tongue. The yellow bass differs further from the white bass by having nine to ten anal rays in comparison to eleven or thirteen. The back of the fish is usually a dark olive green, and the abdomen and sides are often a silvery yellow.[3]
Food exploited by young yellow bass include small invertebrates including copepods and aquatic insects. The juvenile yellow bass feeds almost exclusively on aquatic insects and crustaceans, and once they reach adulthood they feed primarily on other small fishes; the rest of their diet consists of small crustaceans.[4]
Yellow bass may be found in somewhat clear waters of the Mississippi River from Minnesota to Louisiana and may also be found in the Trinity River and the Tennessee River. The yellow bass can also be found in lakes surrounding these rivers, especially in areas with dense vegetation and low turbidity.[3]
The reproductive biology of the yellow bass is similar to that of the white bass, where spawning occurs during the spring with fish swimming into the tributaries to make spawning runs.[5][6] Spawning usually occurs in moderately shallow waters during which the female lies on her side and exposes the eggs as the male fertilizes from above. The larvae of the yellow bass school together to avoid predation and they grow fairly quickly in size.[5] Yellow bass have average lifespan of about six years.[3]
The yellow bass is not as popular a gamefish as either the white bass or the striped bass because of its small size. They are usually caught by anglers fishing with crappie jigs or minnows. These fish may also be caught in large numbers because of their large populations.[3] The yellow bass is edible and this fish is commonly eaten in its range.[7]
The International Game Fish Association world record yellow bass, caught in the Morse lake in Indiana in 2000, weighed 2lbs 15oz.[8]
The specific name, mississippiensis, comes from the Mississippi River.[3]
The yellow bass (Morone mississippiensis) is a member of the family Moronidae. This species is a deep bodied fish that possesses five to seven dark stripes laterally along the sides, the lowest few of these are often broken or disrupted anterior to the origin of the anal fin. This species is somewhat similar to two other species in the family Moronidae, the white bass and the striped bass. The yellow bass is distinguishable from both of these species by having the offset lateral stripes above the anal fin and from not possessing tooth patches on the tongue. The yellow bass differs further from the white bass by having nine to ten anal rays in comparison to eleven or thirteen. The back of the fish is usually a dark olive green, and the abdomen and sides are often a silvery yellow.
