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Banded Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma zonatum)

Banded Pygmy sunfish inhabit weedbeds in clear and quiet waters of the southeastern lowlands of Missouri. Less than 1.5 inches long, these are the smallest of all the sunfishes. They also differ form other sunfishes by having no lateral line and a rounded, rather than a notched, tail fin. Learn more about Missouri's 200 known species of fish from the newly revised edition of The Fishes of Missouri by William L. Pflieger.