Calliurus punctulatus Rafinesque, 1819 The spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus), also called spotty, or spots in various fishing communities, is a species of North American freshwater fish belonging to the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of the order Centrarchiformes.

One of the black basses, it is native to the Mississippi River basin and across the Gulf states, from central Texas through the Florida panhandle.

Preferring cool and warm mountain streams and reservoirs with rocky bottoms, the spotted bass feeds on insects, crustaceans, frogs, annelid worms and smaller fish.

In 2010, the scientific community officially recognized a separate subspecies of spotted bass, native to the Tallapoosa and Coosa Rivers and their lakes.

The current record spotted bass, caught in Pine Flat Lake, California, weighed 10.27 lb (4.66 kg).

They usually occur around aquatic vegetation, submerged logs, and rock or riprap walls in small to large flowing streams, rivers, and reservoirs.

Spotted bass are native to portions of East Texas, particularly in the Sabine, Neches and Cypress Rivers.

The males build their nest in gravel or other substrate, then entices a female to deposit her eggs.

Several spotted and smallmouth bass hybrids have been collected recently in area reservoirs suggesting there is occasionally competition between the two species for spawning habitat.