''Ameiurus'' is a genus of
catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...
es in the family
Ictaluridae
The Ictaluridae, sometimes called ictalurids, are a family of catfish native to North America, where they are an important food source and sometimes fished for sport. The family includes about 51 species, some commonly known as bullheads, madto ...
. It contains the three common types of bullhead catfish found in waters of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, the
black bullhead
The black bullhead or black bullhead catfish (''Ameiurus melas'') is a species of bullhead catfish. Like other bullhead catfish, it has the ability to thrive in waters that are low in oxygen, brackish, turbid and/or very warm. It also has barbels ...
(''Ameiurus melas''), the
brown bullhead
The brown bullhead (''Ameiurus nebulosus'') is a fish of the family Ictaluridae that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead (''Ameiurus melas'') and yellow bullhead (''Ame ...
(''Ameiurus nebulosus''), and the
yellow bullhead
The yellow bullhead (''Ameiurus natalis'') is a species of bullhead catfish, a ray-finned fish that lacks scales.
Description
The yellow bullhead is a medium-sized member of the catfish family. It is typically yellow-olive to slate black on the ...
(''Ameiurus natalis''), as well as other species, such as the white catfish (''Ameiurus catus'' or ''
Ictalurus catus
The white bullhead (''Ameiurus catus''), also known as the white catfish, is a member of the family Ictaluridae of the order Siluriformes.
Distribution
Originally native to the coastal river systems of the Eastern United States, the catfish spr ...
''), which are not typically called "bullheads".
The species known as bullheads can be distinguished from
channel catfish
The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus'') is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, the ...
and
blue catfish
The blue catfish (''Ictalurus furcatus'') is the largest species of North American catfish, reaching a length of and a weight of . The typical length is about 25–46 in (64–117 cm). The fish can live to 20 years. The native distribution ...
by their squared tailfins, rather than forked.
Taxonomy and fossil record
''Ameiurus'' is recognized as
monophyletic
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...
, meaning it forms a natural group. It is mostly closely related to the
clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
formed by the genera ''
Noturus'', ''
Prietella
''Prietella'' is a small genus of North American freshwater catfishes found in Mexico and Texas, and restricted to underground waters.
Taxonomy
''Prietella'' has been confirmed to be monophyletic and to be the sister group of the '' Noturus''. ...
'', ''
Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...
'', and ''
Pylodictis
The flathead catfish (''Pylodictis olivaris''), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. It is the only species of the genus ''Py ...
''.
There is a
sister group
In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree.
Definition
The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram:
Taxon A and t ...
relationship between the species ''A. melas'' and ''A. nebulosus''.
Species
Extant Species
There are currently seven recognized species in this genus:
* ''
Ameiurus brunneus
The snail bullhead (''Ameiurus brunneus'') is a bony fish in the family Ictaluridae distributed widely in the Southeastern United States. Among its bullhead catfish congeners, it has many North American relatives, like the brown bullhead (''Ameiur ...
''
D. S. Jordan, 1877 (Snail bullhead)
* ''
Ameiurus catus''
(Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
, 1758) (White bullhead)
![White catfish fish amereiurus catus (white background)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/White_catfish_fish_amereiurus_catus_%28white_background%29.jpg)
* ''
Ameiurus melas
The black bullhead or black bullhead catfish (''Ameiurus melas'') is a species of Ameiurus, bullhead catfish. Like other bullhead catfish, it has the ability to thrive in waters that are low in oxygen, brackish, turbid and/or very warm. It also h ...
''
(Rafinesque
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...
, 1820) (Black bullhead)
![Black bullhead fish (white background)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Black_bullhead_fish_%28white_background%29.jpg)
* ''
Ameiurus natalis
The yellow bullhead (''Ameiurus natalis'') is a species of bullhead catfish, a ray-finned fish that lacks scales.
Description
The yellow bullhead is a medium-sized member of the catfish family. It is typically yellow-olive to slate black on the ...
''
( Lesueur, 1819) (Yellow bullhead)
![Yellow bullhead fish ameiurus natalis (white background)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Yellow_bullhead_fish_ameiurus_natalis_%28white_background%29.jpg)
* ''
Ameiurus nebulosus
The brown bullhead (''Ameiurus nebulosus'') is a fish of the family Ictaluridae that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead (''Ameiurus melas'') and yellow bullhead (''Ame ...
''
( Lesueur, 1819) (Brown bullhead)
![Brown bullhead fish ameiurus nebulosus (white background)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Brown_bullhead_fish_ameiurus_nebulosus_%28white_background%29.jpg)
* ''
Ameiurus platycephalus''
( Girard, 1859) (Flat bullhead)
* ''
Ameiurus serracanthus
''Ameiurus'' is a genus of catfishes in the family Ictaluridae. It contains the three common types of bullhead catfish found in waters of the United States, the black bullhead (''Ameiurus melas''), the brown bullhead (''Ameiurus nebulosus''), a ...
''
( Yerger & Relyea, 1968) (Spotted bullhead)
Extinct Species
There are currently eight recognized fossil species in this genus:
The oldest, ''A. pectinatus'', gives a minimum age estimate for the genus at approximately 30 million years, during the
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...
.
*
†''
Ameiurus hazenensis''
*
†''
Ameiurus lavetti''
*
†''
Ameiurus leidyi''
*
†''
Ameiurus macgrewi
''Ameiurus'' is a genus of catfishes in the family Ictaluridae. It contains the three common types of bullhead catfish found in waters of the United States, the black bullhead (''Ameiurus melas''), the brown bullhead (''Ameiurus nebulosus''), a ...
''
*
†''
Ameiurus pectinatus
''Ameiurus'' is a genus of catfishes in the family Ictaluridae. It contains the three common types of bullhead catfish found in waters of the United States, the black bullhead (''Ameiurus melas''), the brown bullhead (''Ameiurus nebulosus''), a ...
''
*
†''
Ameiurus reticulatus''
*
†''
Ameiurus sawrockensis''
*
†''
Ameiurus vespertinus''
Distribution
Living species of ''Ameiurus'' catfishes are natively distributed east of the
North American continental divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas (also known as the Great Divide, the Western Divide or simply the Continental Divide; ) is the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas. The Continental Divide extends from t ...
, from their westernmost point in central
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
, south to
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, in streams of the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
and
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
Coast, north to
New Brunswick
New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
and
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
,
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, and
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
.
Habitat
Bullheads live in a variety of habitats, including brackish and/or low oxygen ponds, rivers and lakes, although they are seldom stocked intentionally. They are bottom feeders and eat virtually anything edible, including dead fish, insects, other fish, grain, fruit, crayfish and more. Because of their limited use as for sport, they are usually caught while trying to catch other fish, and few anglers pursue them specifically. Persons looking to catch bullheads will use the same bait as they would for channel catfish, including cut bait, chicken livers, blood-soaked meal, or other pungent baits. In the Northeastern US, bullheads are often sold to restaurants in the spring for "fish fries" by amateur fisher folk by the 5 gallon bucket load. Like all catfish, bullheads have a sense of smell that is more developed than most canines.
Description and identification
Bullheads do not get as large as the other catfishes native to North America, with average sizes in the one to two-pound range and world record sizes well under .
All three major bullheads can be confused with other catfishes by novice anglers. Because they have an unforked tail, many people mistakenly think small flathead catfish are bullheads. Both have the squared tail, and can have a mottled, brown appearance (in the case of the brown bullhead), but the flathead lower lip protrudes farther than its upper lip and it has a flat or "shovel" head. They also have very different habits and habitat.
Flatheads generally eat only live things, while bullheads will freely eat dead fish or other small animals. The flathead is more likely to be found at the bottom of dams or in gravel pits, while bullheads are found more often in the more murky areas. Additionally, flatheads can reach weights well in excess of , while the current world's record for any bullhead is a black bullhead, recorded at even while the average adult is perhaps . Brown and yellow bullheads are significantly smaller.
Relationship to humans
They are considered
rough fish Rough fish (or the slang trash fish or dirt fish) is a term used by some United States state agencies and anglers to describe fish that are less desirable to sport anglers within a defined region. The term usually refers to larger game fish species ...
by many, and are seldom caught for food, although they can be quite edible if caught in clear water and prepared correctly. In
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, bullhead are important to commercial fishermen, who harvest about 1 million pounds a year.
Bullheads can make excellent live bait for larger catfish species such as flathead catfish in states where legal.
On July 12, 1940, in
Waterville, southern Minnesota a commercial bullhead fisherman named Bryant Baumgartner killed plainclothes game wardens Marcus Whipps, A. Melvin Holt, and Dudley Brady, who were investigating his operation.
The killings became known as The Bullhead Murders, as researched by James M. Keller for his 2012 book, “Tragedy on Fish Row: The Waterville Shootings.” Baumgartner then killed himself.
In the early 20th century local people could sell their catch for cents on the pound, more if cleaned. Wholesalers would pack the fish for market where eager customers sought out the cheap protein. However, Minnesota restricted its bullhead limit to 50 per day in 1939 due to concern about overfishing of bullheads with nets, and the state's wardens were actively monitoring commercial fishing operations for compliance at the time of the 1940 murders.
The black bullhead flourished in waters polluted by sewers, mink farms, chicken and livestock processors, and other largely unregulated waste producers. What wasn’t sold for human consumption, the guts, bones, skins, and heads became food for mink ranches. Scott Mackenthun, a fisheries biologist with the Minnesota DNR, said black bullhead abundance has declined statewide the past 40 years after the Clean Water Act took effect in 1972. The DNR unveiled a memorial to the three slain conservation wardens in June 2011 in nearby New Ulm.
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q601085
Freshwater fish of the United States
Fish of the Eastern United States
Freshwater fish genera
Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
Extant Oligocene first appearances