PISHES OF NEW YORK 87 



48 Ameiurus nebulosus (Le Sueur) 

 Horned Pout; Bullhead 



Pimelodus nebulosus Le Sueur, M^m. Mus. d'Hist. Nat. V, 149, 1819. 

 Pimelodus catus De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 182, pi. 37, fig. 119, 1842. 

 Amiurus catus Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 104. 1883. 

 Silurus catus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 433, 1815. (not 



i^ihirus catus Linnaeus) 

 Amiurus nebulosus Bean, Fishes Penna. 16, pi. 19, fig. 25, 1893. 

 Ameiurus nebulosus Jordan & Etermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 140, 



1896. 



The common catfish has a very stout body, broad head and a 

 short stout caudal peduncle. The depth of body about equals 

 length of head, and is contained from three and one half to 

 four and one half times in the length. Barbels eight; maxil- 

 lary barbels as long as head; dorsal profile from tip of snout to 

 dorsal fin straight and rather steep; mouth wide and terminal; 

 teeth awl-shaped, in broad bands on the intermaxillaries and 

 dentaries; dorsal situated in front of middle of body; short and 

 high; adipose fin stout; anal large, its base equaling length of 

 head; caudal square or slightly emarginate. D. I, 6; A. 20-22; 

 P. I, 6. 



This is known as the common catfish, bullhead, hornpout, 

 bullpout, and minister. 



This species has a wider distribution than the white cat, its 

 range including New England and extending southward to 

 South Carolina, west to Wisconsin and southwest to Texas. It 

 has also been transferred from the Schuylkill to the Sacramento 



ft/ 



and San Joaquin rivers, Cal. where it has multiplied so rapidly 

 that it is now one of the most common fishes of those streams. 

 This is the most abundant catfish in Lake Erie and its tribu- 

 taries. 



The species reaches a maximum length of 18 inches and a 

 weight of 4 pounds, but the average size of market specimens 

 is much smaller. In the lower waters of the Susquehanna color 

 varieties of this species are not uncommon. One of them 

 appears to be the same as the Amiurus ma. rmoratus 

 of Holbrook; this supposed color variety is found also from 

 Illinois to Florida. The lower Susquehanna has furnished also 

 some singularly colored examples of this fish, distinguished by 



