Ameiurus nebulosus
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Siluriformes (Catfishes)
Ictaluridae (North American Catfishes)
Ameiurus
Ameiurus nebulosus (Brown Bullhead)
Description
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Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal. Caudal fin with 18-19 rays.
Distribution
North America: Atlantic and Gulf Slope drainages from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in Canada to Mobile Bay in Alabama in USA; St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and Mississippi River basins from Quebec west to southeastern Saskatchewan in Canada, and south to Louisiana, USA. Introduced into several countries. Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. demersal. depth range 0-12 m. Found in: streams, lakes.
Biology
Occurs in pools and sluggish runs over soft substrates in creeks and small to large rivers. Also found in impoundments, lakes, and ponds (Ref. 86798). Rarely enters brackish waters (Ref. 1998). A nocturnal feeder that feeds mollusks, insects, leeches, crayfish and plankton, worms, algae, plant material, fishes and has been reported to feed on eggs of least cisco, herring and lake trout (Ref. 1998). Juveniles (3-6 cm) feed mostly on chironomid larvae, cladocerans, ostracods, amphipods, bugs and mayflies (Ref. 1998). Can tolerate high carbon dioxide and low oxygen concentrations and temperatures up to 31.6 °C although experiments show upper lethal temp. to be 37.5 °C; resistant to domestic and industrial pollution (Ref. 1998). Has been observed to bury itself in mud to escape adverse environmental conditions (Ref. 1998). Prepared hot-smoked and also cooked in various ways (Ref. 1998).
Max length: 55.0 cm TL; common length: 25.0 cm TL; max weight: 2740 g; max age: 9 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters); parental care: paternal. Nests are built by one or both sexes. After a period of caressing each other with their barbels, male and female settle over the nest, face opposite directions (while maintaining body contact) and spawn. Although eggs are cared for by one or both parents, there have been reports of parents eating their own eggs. Caring entails fanning by the paired fins, moving and stirring by the barbels, and may be picked up and ejected from the mouth; this ensures hatching.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-10-14. Resilience: Medium (K=0.47; tm=3; tmax=8).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish; aquaculture: commercial.
References
Scott, W.B. and E.J. Crossman (1973) Freshwater fishes of Canada. Bull. Fish. Res. Board Can. 184: xi+1-966.
Spillman, C.-J. (1961) Faune de France: Poissons d'eau douce. Fédération Française des Sociétés Naturelles,Tome 65. Paris. 303 p.
Palomares, M.L.D. (1991) La consommation de nourriture chez les poissons: étude comparative, mise au point d'un modèle prédictif et application à l'étude des réseaux trophiques. Thèse de Doctorat, Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, 211 p.
Klarberg, D.P. and A. Benson (1975) Food habits of Ictalurus nebulosus in acid polluted water of northern West Virginia. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 4(3):541-546.
IGFA (2001) Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr (2011) A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 663p.
Teletchea, F., A. Fostier, E. Kamler, J-N. Gardeur, P-Y. Le Bail, B. Jalabert and P. Fontaine (2009) Comparative analysis of reproductive traits in 65 freshwater fish species: application to the domestication of new fish species. Rev. Fish Biol. Fish. 19:403-430.
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