Black Bullhead, Ameiurus melas
Black Bullhead, Ameiurus melas, Juvenile. Fish caught from the Bountiful Pond, Bountiful, Utah, August 2020. Length: 7.5 cm (3.0 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Black Bullhead, Ameiurus melas. Fish caught from the Town Creek, Palestine, Texas, June 2021. Length: 17 cm (6.7 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Black Bullhead, Ameiurus melas. Fish caught from an irrigation ditch in Salt Lake City, Utah, June 2021. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Black Bullhead, Ameiurus melas. Fish caught from the spillway below the Chinguacousy Park Pond, Brampton, Ontario, Canada, May 2018, Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Ryan Crutchfield, Tampa, Florida.
Black Bullhead, Ameiurus melas. Fish caught from a tributary of the Upper Niagara River, Ontario, Canada, June 2014, Length: 23 cm (9.1 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Kenneth Tse, Toronto, Canada.
Black Bullhead, Ameiurus melas. Fish caught in the Chippewa River, Wisconsin, March 2009. Length: 24 cm (9.4 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Josh Leisen (joshadventures.com), Gaylord, Michican.
The Black Bullhead, Ameiurus melas, is a member of the North American Catfish or Ictaluridae Family, that is also known as the Black Bullhead Catfish and in Mexico as bagre torito negro. Globally, there are seven species in the genus Ameiurus, with only this species being found in the freshwater systems of Mexico.
The Black Bullhead has a characteristic catfish-like body with a flattened belly and a slightly humped back. They are black or dark brown dorsally and transition to golden yellow ventrally. Their anal fin has a pale base. Their fins are darker than the adjacent parts of the body. Their head is large, broad, and rounded with small eyes and a lower lip that does not protrude past the upper lip. They have a short, wide, and terminal mouth equipped with sets of short, pointed, conical, and cardiform teeth set in multiple rows. There have four pairs of barbels at the corner of their mouth that are about twice as long as those near their nostrils. Their anal fin has 15 to 21 rays; their caudal fin is square to slightly lunate; their dorsal fin has 1 spine and 6 rays and is followed by a small adipose fin; and their pectoral fins have smooth edges. Their dorsal and pectoral fins have sharp spines which release toxic venom that is used as defense to avoid predation. They have 15 to 21 gill rakers. They have no scales. They are covered with 100,000 taste receptors used to locate and identify food.
The Black Bullhead is a demersal species found in stagnant and slow-moving shallow freshwater bodies with soft bottoms. They are known to congregate in small confined areas in waters that range in temperature from 8oC (46oF) to 30oC (86oF). They reach a maximum of 66 cm (2 feet 2 inches) in length of 3.6 kg (7 lbs 14 oz) in weight. They thrive in poor water conditions, including in low oxygen, brackish, turbid, and hot waters. They are active nocturnal feeders consuming grains, plant materials, insects, dead and live fish, and crustaceans. Juveniles are preyed upon by the Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus dolomieu, the Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides, the White Bass, Morone chrysops, and various birds. Reproduction is oviparous with each female placing between 2,000 and 6,000 eggs in small holes or depressions on the lake floor which are then fertilized and guarded by males. Eggs hatch within a week and pups are guarded by both parents for a short time. They are known to “hibernate” by burying themselves in the substrate during low oxygen and low temperature episodes. They have lifespans of up to ten years.
The Black Bullhead has a very limited documented range in Mexico being native only to the freshwater systems of northern parts of the country that drain into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Black Bullhead is not easily confused with any other species as it is unique among catfish for having a black barbel, a tan crescent around the tail, and a square caudal fin. However, they can be confused with the Brown Bullhead, Ameiurus nebulosus (strongly serrated pectoral spines; 21-24 anal rays) which is not a presently documented resident of Mexican waters.
From a conservation perspective the Black Bullhead is currently considered of Least Concern with increasing widely distributed populations. Global populations are currently estimated to be in excess of one million individuals. The are not actively pursued by recreational anglers but are caught occasionally as a by-catch. They are considered an excellent food fish being raised at a modest level via aquaculture. They have been widely introduced to all parts of North America, Europe, and South America for sport and food where they have very quickly become highly invasive, a nuisance, and unpopular in most locations. Efforts to eradicate local populations have faced major challenges and it appears that entire water systems would need to be poisoned to completely remove established populations of Black Bullheads. They have been credited with eradicating local populations of the endangered Humpback Chub, Gila cypha and the Leopard Frog, Rana chiricahuensis, removing food sources for native fish, and increasing turbidity in water systems. They have been used on a limited basis by the aquarium trade but are known to consume fellow tank mates.