Geographic isolation and habitat specialization has aided in the evolution of and genetic integrity of the Micropterid bass species of North America. Members of the genus Micropterus form a close natural unit with little morphologic and meristic variation. Our goal was to determine the genetic similarity among black bass species using mitochondrial DNA analysis and compare phylogeny to geographic distribution to further understand the divergence of this genus. Mitochondrial DNA was examined in shoal bass (M. cf. coosae), northern smallmouth bass (M. dolomieui dolomieui), Alabama spotted bass (M. punctulatus henshalli), northern spotted bass (M. p. punctulatus), northern largemouth bass (M. salmoides salmoides), and Guadalupe bass (M. treculi) using 15 restriction endonucleases. Phylogenetic relationships were similar to those identified previously by researchers utilizing meristic and allozyme analyses. The largemouth bass had the greatest divergence among the black basses (p = 0.1989 to 0.2420). All other species were associated with the spotted bass. The shoal bass and the Guadalupe bass were most similar to the Alabama and northern spotted basses, respectively. The smallmouth was most recently diverged from the spotted bass supporting a recent origin for this species. Further support for recent divergence is provided by frequent hybridization between the smallmouth bass and other Micropterids.