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Fish Hybridization- What are the limits?
So I have been catching fish that seem to be a mixture of species - I have heard that fish can mix but I was wondering to what extent do they do this? I would imagine that a catfish and a sunfish would not mate (although that would be awesome) but more along the lines of a smallmouth mating with a pumpkinseed or a red-eye bass. What is that degree or range of compatibility for fish to breed with other fish?
Thanks!
If you had to guess, what is the likelihood of hybridization, generally speaking- Is this something that happens only once and a while or could it be fairly common in some areas.?
1 Answer
- SmegheadLv 77 years agoFavorite Answer
There are no hard and fast rules, but generally speaking you wouldn't expect hybridization between species that aren't in the same genus. Occasionally it might happen between different genuses within the same family.
Edit: It's impossible even to guess, "generally speaking", because it depends greatly on what kinds of fish the parents are. Between closely related species, hybridization is extremely common. Between distantly related species, it's completely impossible. Remember, fish have been around much longer than other vertebrates. You can easily find two fish that are much more distantly related to each other than you are to a salamander.