The Sacramento perch (Archoplites interrupts) is from the family Centrarchidae, characterized by dorsal fins with spiny elements and known for its nesting behavior.

The Sacramento perch's native habitat is in sluggish, heavily vegetated waters of sloughs and lakes.

[6] Its adaptability to different habitats is variable, and it can survive on various food sources, from insects, bottom-dwelling snails, phytoplankton, and small fishes.

As young perch, they consume mainly small crustaceans and eventually move on to insect larvae and then smaller fish as adults.

Being the only native centrarchid west of the Rockies, the Sacramento perch is believed to closely resemble the ancestral fish that split from the rest of the other species residing in the east.

It was initially thought that the Sacramento perches’ close relatives were the flyer (Centrarchus macropterous) and crappies (Pomoxis spp.).

[3] This fish has a slightly angled mouth in the superior position, indicating that it feeds on insects near the middle of the water column.

Overall,  the males become darker with metallic green-purple scales and display purple opercula, as shown in the right image.

Sacramento perch are quite rare in their native range and are found primarily in warm, turbid, and alkaline farm ponds, reservoirs, and recreational lakes that it has been introduced into.

However, the populations in Pyramid and Washoe Lake need a current reevaluation since the state of Nevada has been implementing actions of introducing large predatory game fish such as walleyes, basses, and other centrarchid species.

This fish mostly feeds on chironomid midge larvae and pupae found on the bottom or in aquatic plants during winter months.

[12] However, eating mosquito larvae is rare because these fishes are mainly midwater swimmers and do not usually feed on terrestrial or flying insects.

Sacramento perch of Pyramid Lake have been found feeding on Tui chubs and Tahoe suckers.

The perch lay their eggs in 8 to 12 inch diameter nests in shallow waters, usually with rock piles, submerged roots, or other substrates nearby.

When getting ready to attack intruders, the Sacramento perch quivers its tail as it maintains itself stationary with its pectoral fins.

When the eggs hatch, they are like tiny planktonic fish that rise to the surface to feed and grow for a couple of weeks before settling down into the vegetation at the bottom.

This also serves as a restoration project to breed Sacramento perch to release them back into native waters and add diversity to the wild population.

A study shows that Sacramento perch bred in captivity prefer eating mosquito larvae.

Potential habitats include Putah Creek and Clear Lake, where the Sacramento perch were abundant at one time but, due to the construction of heavy infrastructure, could not persist.

[11] The Sacramento perch is considered endangered according to the IUCN red list and its populations are projected to continually decline.

They are euryhaline organisms, meaning they are well-adapted to survive and reproduce in alkaline waters containing high concentrations of chloride-sulfate and sodium-potassium ions.

[9] This aggression of the bluegill can quickly eliminate young Sacramento perch from shallow nesting waters occupied with aquatic plants.

A good example of this detrimental interspecific competition is in Clear Lake, which was known to be one of the habitats containing a prominent Sacramento perch population until it gradually declined as bluegills increased.

The best strategy to allow Sacramento perch populations to thrive over invasive species would require the creation of aquatic habitats such as watersheds, reservoirs, or lakes with a high alkalinity salt content.