Synonyms: Black Bass, Bucketmouth, Line-sides, Micropterus salmoides, Micropterus salmoides salmoides.
Widespread and common throughout Maryland, where it is an introduced species.
In a recent genetic analysis, Kim et al. (2022) delimited Largemouth Bass and Florida Bass as two valid species. Previous studies have concurred or treated Florida Bass as a subspecies (Micropterus salmoides floridanus) of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus s. salmoides). In the wider fishing community, they are often referred to as northern strain (Largemouth Bass) and southern strain (Florida Bass) Largemouth Bass. Kim et al. (2022) included samples from across most of the native range of Largemouth/Florida Bass and found that Florida Bass range far wider than previously accepted, which included the type locality of Largemouth Bass (Charleston, SC). Thus, the scientific name of Micropterus salmoides is now applied to Florida Bass, relegating M. floridanus as a junior synonym. In order to make the taxonomy sound for Largemouth Bass, a previous junior synonym for Largemouth Bass, Micropterus nigricans (type locality: Lake Huron), was resurrected and now applies to Largemouth Bass.
Confounding the issue further is the morphological similarity of Largemouth and Florida Bass, which can make it difficult to identify fish by visual examination. This is especially true for introduced areas where the source populations are unknown. Florida Bass have higher growth rates and attain a larger maximum size than Largemouth Bass. There are also minor differences in lateral line scale counts, but Florida Bass and Largemouth Bass readily hybridize and will produce intergrades. Being a more southern species, Florida Bass may not be able to tolerate low winter temperatures, which may limit their distribution in more northerly states. Neither Largemouth or Florida Bass are native to Maryland, but given the state's location and the timeframe of introductions, Maryland likely has mostly Largemouth Bass (M. nigricans) in the wild. That said, it's possible someone may have stocked Florida Bass or Largemouth/Florida Bass hybrids at some point. (R. Aguilar, pers. comm.)
There are 519 records in the project database.
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