Hybrid Crappie?

[Fishin_Magician]

I have heard that white and black crappie can reproduce to form a hybrid. I was looking through my old pictures and this large crappie caught my eye. I caught it from the runoff below a dam... looks neither like a white or black crappie.

He was unusually thick and only about 12-13". Was plumped out like a mature 15" fish.

What do you guys think?


~Fishin' Magician~

[sac-a-lait]

Looks like a Black to me.

[CrappiePappy]

seven spines and black blotch markings ... just a real healthy Black Crappie, IMHO. Musta been eatin good, in the neighborhood, if ya know what I mean !! ......... cp

[Darryl Morris]

Yep, a healthy black crappie.

Looking at the color markings is a quick reference. You can also know with a little more certainty by counting the dorsal spines. 5-6 is a white and 7-8 is a black. Here on Lake Hamilton we often catch some really short, stocky crappie like that one and the color markings look like the random spots of a black but only have 5-6 spines. That, in my opinion, has to be a hybrid where the coloration gene is dominant from the black and the body/fin type gene is dominant from the white.

[Eager Beaver]

Doesn't the Hybrid have the black stripe from the nose over the back?

[Fishin_Magician]

Yeah most likely was a black I guess. Because of the spines I guess he would have to be classified as such. The thing that got me about him though was the head and mouth. Seemed like the mouth was too big and gill plate too long to be a pure black crappie. He also has the defined black spot on the gill plate like a white crappie. The blacks that I catch in lakes have much smaller heads and mouths with more of a tall body.

Hear is a snipit of a black crappie from a local lake next to this one from the spillway. Notice the difference in the gill plate and head/mouth shape.


I have noticed crappie from different waterways have a different look though. Both in coloration and body shape. It is neat to see all the different variations on the two species.

Does anyone have a picture of a hybrid between a black and white? I would like to see what they look like. How many spines do they have? Do they really exist? Also I wonder if they can reproduce again after the F1 hybrid of the black and white. Could there be lingering amounts of the other species genes in some of the population?

~Fishin' Magician~

[crappieken]

I was doing some research on the black nosed crappie and came across some interesting information, especially regarding why the black stripe may have come about. I copied this from another website.


"THe black nosed black crappie as we call them were first described in the white river basin of arkansas. THey have seen been found in 13 other states. The black stripe is the result of a recessive gene, which breeds true when using black stripe brooders. THere are all kinds of claims about them being sterile, or hard fighters and such. No conclusive evidence has ever been found to support any such theories. THey breed just like regular black crappie. I believe the black stripe adds to the excitement when reeling one in and anglers get an adrenaline rush when they see one, resulting in all kinds of euphoric claims. Do not be confused, some people are using black nosed black crappie in hybridization research which results in hybrid crappie with black stripes (to indicate a successful cross, gene expression of a recessive gene from one parent). Therefore some hybrid crappie have been stocked with the black stripe and some people confuse the black stripe thinking it is the result of hybridization. Bottom line, in order for any crappie to have a black stripe it must have a black nosed black crappie parent. Additionally, I have found that 8" is the "line" for all crappie. Below 8" there is not much to eat. Above 8" the fish put on weight rather than length. This can also be found in bluegill. A 5" fish is bait (10 per pound), a 6" fish can be pan fried (4 per pound), a 7" fish can be filleted (2 per pound)and an 8" fish can be cut into steaks. Anyway to answer the obvious question, what good is the black stripe. The leading theory is that the black stripe acts much like the the black paint football players put under their eyes. It helps with vision in certain conditions ("habitats"). Perhaps the black stripe presents an advantage in the clear waters of the upper white river basin. WHy are farmers raising and selling them? They are cool and most pond owners will spend money on cool stuff, like albino cats and tiger bass."

[jesse]

I see what you see fm. The face looks like that of a white. I have caught thousands of sac-au-lait here in south Louisiana but have never caught one that looked like that! Thanks for sharing.

[CrappiePappy]

Doesn't the Hybrid have the black stripe from the nose over the back?

Those are usually "Blacknose" Black Crappie ... a regular Black Crappie with a recessive pigment gene that manifests itself as a "black stripe from dorsal to lower lip". Though, there is some indication (in what I've read) that Blacknose have been used in the hybrid crossing process.
There is a "true" hybrid cross, between a Black Crappie & White Crappie ... nicknamed the Magnolia Crappie, as it was conceived and developed in Mississippi (Magnolia State). By its "description" ... it may have been a cross between a White Crappie & a Blacknose Black Crappie.
And there are probably some "naturally occurring" hybrids, in other states/waters ... not to mention the expanding use of Blacknose Black Crappie in many states, and the population shifts (between White Crappie & Black Crappie domination of certain waters) - all of which may add to the confusion of exactly "what" a Crappie angler has actually caught :p ......cp

[papasage]

this was cought in lake blacksher . i have cought several over the years .