Crappie

Crappies (/ˈkrɒpi, ˈkræpi/) are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus Pomoxis in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers.

The genus name Pomoxis literally means "sharp cover", referring to the fish's spiny gill covers (opercular bones). It is composed of the Greek poma (πῶμα, cover) and oxys (ὀξύς, "sharp").

The common name (also spelled croppie or crappé) derives from the Canadian French crapet, which refers to many different fishes of the sunfish family. Other names for crappie are papermouths, strawberry bass, speckled bass or specks (especially in Michigan), speckled perch, white perch, crappie bass, calico bass (throughout the Middle Atlantic states and New England), and Oswego bass.

In Louisiana, it is called sacalait (Cajun French: sac-à-lait, lit. 'milk bag'), seemingly an allusion to its milky white flesh or silvery skin. The supposed French meaning is, however, folk etymology, because the word is ultimately from Choctaw sakli, meaning "trout".

The currently recognized species in this genus are:

The extinct fossil species †Pomoxis lanei Hibbard, 1936 (common name "Ogallala crappie") is known from a single well-preserved specimen recovered from Late Miocene-aged sediments of the Ogallala Formation of Kansas. An undescribed fossil Pomoxis (known as the "Wakeeney crappie") is also known from more fragmentary remains recovered from older Middle Miocene-aged sediments of the formation, representing the earliest record of the genus.

Both species of crappie as adults feed predominantly on smaller fish species, including the young of their own predators (which include the northern pike, muskellunge, and walleye). They have diverse diets, however, including zooplankton, insects, and crustaceans. Larval crappies rely on crustacean zooplankton as a food source. The availability of zooplankton can have an effect on larval populations. By day, crappie tend to be less active and concentrate around weed beds or submerged objects, such as logs and boulders. They feed during dawn and dusk, by moving into open water or approaching the shore.

Hybrid crappie (Pomoxis annularis × nigromaculatus) have been cultured and occur naturally. The crossing of a black crappie female and white crappie male has better survival and growth rates among offspring than the reciprocal cross does. Hybrid crappie are difficult to distinguish from black crappie by appearance alone. Fingerling yields are variable in culture. The hybrid offspring are fertile, black crappie female and white crappie male crosses more so than the reciprocal.