Florida’s most popular freshwater game fish has a new name.

The largemouth bass, commonly found in Florida’s waterways, is now known as the Florida bass, according to a July 17 news release from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

Its name change comes after a recent study by Yale University that “used advanced genetic analysis and determined Florida bass to be its own species.”

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The American Fisheries Society agreed, recognizing the Florida bass as a separate species. 

The Maryland-based organization “promotes scientific research and sustainable management of fisheries resources,” according to its website.

The scientific name for the largemouth bass, previously “Micropterus salmoides,” is now the scientific name for the Florida bass. The scientific name for the largemouth bass is “Micropterus nigricans.”

The names “have been incorrectly applied to the largemouth bass and Florida bass over the past 75 years,” the study said. 

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The research also identified the range of Florida bass to be larger than once believed.

The range includes not only Florida but also parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, the FWC said in its news release.

“Understanding these distinctions is essential for effective conservation and management of the species.”

“This discovery is crucial because it confirms and enhances our understanding of Florida bass as a distinct species,” Michelle Kerr, a spokesperson for the FWC, told Fox News Digital in an email.

“Understanding these distinctions is essential for effective conservation and management of the species to ensure sustainable fishing and biodiversity preservation.”

The Florida bass, which was incorrectly identified as the largemouth bass for more than 75 years, has a range that includes parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. (iStock)

Black bass, which includes the Florida and largemouth bass, are well-known freshwater fish and considered the most popular for recreational fishing, the FWC said on its website.

“This new understanding of black bass diversity, distribution and classification provides a critical foundation for better managing and conserving these important and iconic fish,” the FWC said. 

“It will aid in ensuring their continued conservation and sustainable use for future generations.”

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It essentially means that, throughout most of Florida, what was previously known as the largemouth bass is now the state’s very own bass.

One exception is in Florida’s western panhandle. “Ongoing research may further define the western range of this species within the state,” Kerr told Fox News Digital.

In most of Florida, what was known as a largemouth bass is now called a Florida bass. The exception is in Florida’s panhandle. (iStock)

This new revelation won’t undo Florida’s current largemouth bass fishing record.

The state record for the largemouth bass was set in 1986 in Polk County near Orlando. Billy O’Berry caught what was then known as a largemouth bass weighing 17.27 pounds, according to the FWC.

“The existing record falls within the recognized range of Florida bass,” Kerr said. 

If an angler were to hook a Florida bass, he or she wouldn’t know the difference.

“Florida bass and largemouth bass are not distinguishable from each other visually,” the FWC said.

Whether a largemouth bass or a Florida bass, the regulation requirements for anglers in the state remain the same. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

“Genetic testing must be performed to determine the species.”

Anglers needn’t worry, however. 

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The FWC said regulations will remain the same for both species in the state.

The Florida Legislature designated the largemouth bass as the official state freshwater fish in 1975.

Whether the name change leads to a demotion in state status remains to be seen.

The Georgia Court of Appeals will hear former President Trump’s case to have District Attorney Fani Willis disqualified on Dec. 5 — a month after the 2024 presidential election. 

The Georgia court will hear the appeal by Trump and his co-defendants to have embattled Willis disqualified from the case due to an alleged “improper” affair with former special prosecutor Nathan Wade.

Last month, lawyers for Trump filed the opening brief in their appeal of a court order in hopes of disqualifying Wills from the sweeping electioneering case against him in Georgia. 

“The brief persuasively argues that the trial court should have dismissed the case and disqualified DA Willis for her forensic misconduct and the appearance of impropriety between her and former Special Assistant DA Wade, who was her lover and taxpayer-funded financial benefactor,” Steve Sadow, lead attorney for Trump, said in a statement. 

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“We are optimistic that the Court will favorably decide the appeal in our favor.”

“Should a prosecutor be disqualified for intentionally and repeatedly violating ethical and professional canons to prejudice defendants for personal or political gain? Yes,” the brief argues.  

“Is disqualification necessary when a prosecutor testifies falsely, conceals misconduct, and creates ‘an odor of mendacity’ that results in a ‘significant appearance of impropriety?’ Undoubtedly so. If this prosecutor deflects attention from her misconduct by claiming on national television that the defendants are dishonest racists for bringing the truthful accusations to light, could anyone have confidence in the impartiality of the prosecutor’s actions? Absolutely not,” it states.

The appeals court paused activity in the case against Trump, all but eliminating any opportunity for Willis to try the former president before the Nov. 5 presidential election. 

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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis celebrates after winning the Democratic primary on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Buckhead, Ga.  (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Willis filed a motion to dismiss that appeal earlier this month, saying the lower court found there was no sufficient evidence to support their claims that Willis has a conflict of interest, and says that there is “no basis” to appeal Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee’s March ruling allowing Willis to stay on the case.

Trump’s lawyer called the motion a “last ditch effort to stop any appellate review of [her] misconduct.”

Trump was indicted in August along with 18 co-defendants stemming from the yearslong criminal investigation led by Willis and state prosecutors in Georgia into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

The charges include violating the Georgia RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act; solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer; conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer; conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree; conspiracy to commit false statements and writings; conspiracy to commit filing false documents; conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree; and filing false documents.

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Former Special prosecutor Nathan Wade arrives before Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks after winning the Democratic primary on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Buckhead, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Since then, Willis has struggled to avoid roadblocks in her efforts to try Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, before the election.

McAfee in March dismissed six of the charges and said the state failed to allege sufficient detail for six counts of “solicitation of violation of oath by public officer.” 

In February, Michael Roman, a GOP operative and co-defendant in the case, dropped bombshell accusations that Willis had an “improper” affair with Wade, whom she hired to help prosecute the case in November 2021. 

Other co-defendants made similar allegations, and said she financially benefited from her relationship with him by taking lavish vacations together. 

Both Wade and Willis denied they were in a romantic relationship prior to his hiring and said the couple would split the costs of their shared travels; Willis said she reimbursed Wade for her share of the trips in cash.

After evidentiary hearings held in February, McAfee ordered that Wade had to be removed in order to keep Willis from disqualification in the Trump election interference case.

“[T]he established record now highlights a significant appearance of impropriety that infects the current structure of the prosecution team – an appearance that must be removed through the State’s selection of one of two options,” he wrote, adding that Willis and her whole office can choose to step aside, or Wade can withdraw from the case.

Wade subsequently resigned from his post as special prosecutor.

In his March order, McAfee said while Willis’ “reimbursement practice” was “unusual and the lack of any documentary corroboration understandably concerning,” he ultimately decided that the defendants did not present “sufficient evidence” that expenses weren’t “roughly divided evenly.” 

He also said, “the evidence demonstrated that the financial gain flowing from her relationship with Wade was not a motivating factor on the part of the District Attorney to indict and prosecute this case.”

“[T]he Court finds that the record made at the evidentiary hearing established that the District Attorney’s prosecution is encumbered by an appearance of impropriety,” McAfee wrote in his order.

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“As the case moves forward, reasonable members of the public could easily be left to wonder whether the financial exchanges have continued resulting in some form of benefit to the District Attorney, or even whether the romantic relationship has resumed.”

“Put differently, an outsider could reasonably think that the District Attorney is not exercising her independent professional judgment totally free of any compromising influences. As long as Wade remains on the case, this unnecessary perception will persist,” he said.

When the defense in March submitted a joint motion for a Certificate of Immediate Review, McAfee said his Order on the Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss and Disqualify the Fulton County District Attorney issued March 15 “is of such importance to the case that immediate review should be had” and allowed the defendants to ask the Georgia appeals court for an opportunity to appeal, which the court granted last month.

In a win for Tennessee’s Republican-led legislature, a federal appeals court on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit brought by an LGBTQ group that challenged a state law restricting drag shows considered “harmful to minors.”

Friends of George’s, a Memphis-based theater that does “drag-centric performances,” sued over the law last year, claiming it would hurt its business because it has no age restrictions. 

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday ruled that Friends of George’s didn’t have legal standing to sue over the law because it wasn’t at risk of violating the law, finding its shows weren’t “harmful to minors.”

The ruling reverses a lower court decision that called the law unconstitutional after the group sued, temporarily blocking its enforcement in Memphis’ Shelby County. The lower court had called the law “substantially overbroad” and said it encouraged “discriminatory enforcement.” 

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With the support of Republican Gov. Bill Lee, the first-of-its-kind law was passed by the state legislature last year but has faced legal hurdles since then. 

“Harmful to minors” has been defined by the Tennessee Supreme Court as shows that lack “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for a reasonable 17-year-old minor.”

People participate at the inaugural WeHo Pride Parade in West Hollywood, Calif. (AP)

In its ruling Thursday, the appeals court said Friends of George’s “has not alleged that its performances lack serious value for a 17-year-old. In fact, it insists the exact opposite. Its own witness, a member of FOG’s board, conceded that its shows ‘are definitely appropriate’ for a 15-year-old and would ‘absolutely’ have artistic value for a 17-year-old.” 

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But state Rep. Aftyn Behn, a Democrat, claimed Thursday’s ruling was a “misguided attack on the LGBTQ+ community.”

With the support of Republican Gov. Bill Lee, the first-of-its-kind law was passed in the state legislature last year but has faced legal hurdles since.  (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

“This isn’t about protecting kids; it’s about spreading fear and division,” she said. “It’s ironic that those who claim to support small government are the first to impose it on our personal freedoms.”

Friends of George’s told Fox News Digital they were “shocked and disappointed” by the decision.

“Instead of addressing the constitutionality of Tennessee’s drag ban, this ruling has left us and thousands of others in the LGBTQ+ community dangerously in limbo, with no clear answers as to how this ban will be enforced and by whom,” the group said. “The only thing that is clear about this law is that it’s firmly rooted in hate and defies the will of the majority of Tennesseans. Friend’s of George’s will continue to fight this bigoted anti-trans law in the courts, as we rehearse for our next theatrical production, slated to open on August 2nd. To comply with the recently reinstated ban, this production will be strictly for audiences ages 18 and over.”

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti argued, however, the law was “constitutionally sound.”

“As a state overflowing with world-class artists and musicians, Tennessee respects the right to free expression,” he said in a statement. “But as the court noted, Tennessee’s ‘harmful to minors’ standard is constitutionally sound, and Tennessee can absolutely prohibit the exhibition of obscene material to children.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.