Under Construction

Ameiurus nebulosus (Lesueur 1819)

Brown Bullhead

Larry Page
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Containing group: Ameiurus

Identification

The Brown Bullhead usually has 5-8 large sawlike teeth on the rear edge of the pectoral spine and is mottled with brown or black spots on the side of the body, although individuals without spots or mottling are common in some areas of the species' range. The color on the back and upper side varies from dark olive to yellow-brown. The body below is bright yellow to white, the fins are dusky to black, and the chin barbels are dusky or black. There is no dark blotch at the base of the dorsal fin. The anal fin is relatively short with 19-23 rays. The edge of the caudal fin is slightly notched in the middle. To 21 in. (50 cm) total length.

Range

The native range of the Brown Bullhead includes the Atlantic and Gulf Slope drainages from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to Mobile Bay, Alabama, and the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and Mississippi River basins from Quebec west to southeast Saskatchewan and south to Louisiana. The species has been introduced outside its native range. It is considered common in the northeastern parts of the range and in Atlantic and Gulf Slope drainages.

Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

Native distribution of Ameiurus nebulosus. © Larry Page

Habitat

The Brown Bullhead lives in pools, backwaters and sluggish runs over soft substrates in creeks and small to large rivers, and in impoundments, lakes, and ponds.

Similar Species

The Black Bullhead, A. melas lacks dark mottling and spots on the side of the body and has no large sawlike teeth on the rear edge of the pectoral spine. It has 15-21 rakers on the first gill arch, and the anal and caudal fins have strongly contrasting rays (pale) and membranes (black). The Yellow Bullhead, A. natalis, lacks mottling or dark spots on the side of the body, has white or yellow chin barbels and more anal rays (24-27).

Other Names for Ameiurus nebulosus (Lesueur 1819)

Title Illustrations
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Location Minnow Slough (Sugar Cr.-Wabash River Dr), 2 mi NE Palestine, Co. road 1150N, Crawford Co., IL
Specimen Condition Dead Specimen
Identified By M. Sabaj
Size 115 mm SL
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © Mark Henry Sabaj
About This Page

Larry Page
Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Griffin Sheehy at and Larry Page at

All Rights Reserved.

Citing this page:

Page, Larry. 2007. Ameiurus nebulosus (Lesueur 1819). Brown Bullhead. Version 23 May 2007 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Ameiurus_nebulosus/69828/2007.05.23 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

edit this page
close box

This page is a Tree of Life Leaf Page.

Each ToL leaf page provides a synopsis of the characteristics of a group of organisms representing a leaf at the tip of the Tree of Life. The major distinction between a leaf and a branch of the Tree of Life is that a leaf cannot generally be further subdivided into subgroups representing distinct genetic lineages.

For a more detailed explanation of the different ToL page types, have a look at the Structure of the Tree of Life page.

close box

Ameiurus nebulosus

Page Content

articles & notes

collections

people

Explore Other Groups

random page

  go to the Tree of Life home page
top