The term “bass” is a common name used for many different fish, and this widespread application is the primary reason determining an exact number of species is not straightforward. The name is applied to hundreds of species in both freshwater and marine environments, shared by multiple distinct evolutionary lineages across the globe. Therefore, the answer to how many species of bass exist depends entirely on which of these various families one chooses to include in the count.
Why Counting Bass Species Is Complicated
The ambiguity in counting bass species stems from the lack of a formal scientific classification for the common name. The term “bass” has been assigned to members of several unrelated or distantly related families within the order Perciformes, the largest order of vertebrates. To gain an accurate count, scientists must rely on the structured system of taxonomy.
The most commonly recognized groups that use the “bass” name belong to three main families: Centrarchidae, Moronidae, and Serranidae. These families represent three separate evolutionary branches that share a similar body shape and predatory lifestyle. The Centrarchidae are the freshwater sunfish and black basses, while Moronidae and Serranidae represent temperate and sea basses, respectively. Without defining which of these families are included, any total number will be misleading.
The North American Freshwater Bass Family
The group most familiar to anglers in the United States is the Centrarchidae family, commonly known as the sunfish family, which includes the freshwater black basses. This family is native exclusively to North America and contains approximately 38 extant species, including related genera like sunfish (Lepomis) and crappies (Pomoxis). The species within this group are characterized by a laterally compressed body shape and two dorsal fins that are broadly joined.
The black basses belong to the genus Micropterus, which includes highly valued sport fish such as the Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) and the Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu). Other members of the Centrarchidae family often labeled as bass or panfish include the Spotted Bass and Rock Bass. A distinguishing characteristic of the Centrarchidae is that the males of many species build and guard nests to protect their eggs and young fry.
Temperate and Marine Bass Diversity
Moving beyond North America’s freshwater systems, the scope of fish referred to as “bass” expands significantly with the Moronidae and Serranidae families. The Moronidae family, known as the temperate basses, is a small but globally recognized group containing just six species. This family includes the Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) and the White Bass (Morone chrysops) in North America, as well as the European Seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Temperate basses are capable of inhabiting a wide range of salinities.
The Serranidae family provides the largest contribution to the global count of fish called “bass.” This family, which includes the sea basses and groupers, is one of the largest families of marine fish. Due to ongoing taxonomic revisions, the species count for Serranidae can vary greatly. Following recent splits in classification, the family Serranidae is now often more narrowly defined, containing approximately 102 valid species. These species are commonly referred to as sea basses, fairy basslets, and hamlets. Combining the Moronidae (6 species) with the restricted Serranidae (~102 species) means the marine and temperate bass groups add over 100 species to the overall count.
Global Habitats and Range
The diverse groups of fish that share the common name “bass” occupy environments ranging from small, confined ponds to vast open oceans. The North American Centrarchidae family is strictly confined to freshwater habitats, primarily across the eastern and central regions of the continent.
The Moronidae, or temperate basses, display a much broader environmental tolerance, often utilizing coastal marine, brackish estuary, and freshwater river systems. The Striped Bass, for example, is an anadromous species, meaning it spends most of its life in saltwater but migrates back to freshwater rivers to spawn. These species are mainly found along the Atlantic coast of North America and parts of Europe and northern Africa.
The Serranidae family, which includes the sea basses, is overwhelmingly marine, with representatives found in tropical and temperate oceans worldwide. These species are typically bottom-dwelling predators associated with coral reefs, rocky bottoms, and coastal shelves. Their global distribution contributes to the massive diversity within the family, illustrating that the term “bass” describes a successful predatory body plan that evolved independently in many different aquatic environments.