The Pirate Perch is distributed in Coastal Plain habitats from Texas to New York, including low-lying Mississippi River and Great Lakes drainages through the Midwest. They are most closely associated with backwater habitats with vegetation, including slow streams, oxbows, and swamps. The most unusual character of this species is the positioning of the anus directly behind the gills on the underside of the throat in adults, which migrates during development from a position just before the anal fin in juveniles.