ABSTRACT
Morphological and genetic studies were conducted by Roberts (1964), Hester (1970), Avise and Smith (1977), Avise et al. (1977), Mok (1981), and Near et al. (2005). Roberts (1964) studied the karyology of the centrarchids and indicated that the pattern of evolutionary relationships could not be deduced; however, some synapomorphies were observed. Hester (1970) evaluated patterns in hybridization frequency as an indicator of genealogical relations. Avise and Smith (1977) examined protein variation among species and using phenetic data analysis, resolved relationships among some species of
Lepomis
. The results of their study showed that
Micropterus
was within
Lepomis
and this group was sister to
Pomoxis, Enneacanthus, Ambloplites
, and
Centrarchus
, which form a monophyletic group sister to the
Lepomis
group.
