178 NORTHERN FISHES 



NORTHERN YELLOW BULLHEAD (Paperskin) 

 Ameiuriis natalis natalis (LeSueur) 



The yellow bullhead (Figure 27B) is yellowish, clouded or mottled 

 with a darker color, and often has a bright yellow belly. The body is 

 short and heavy, the head short and broad, the mouth wide. The long 

 anal fin has 23 to 27 rays, usually 23-25, counting rudiments. Its base 

 is more than one-fourth the length of the body. The caudal, or tail, fin 

 is somewhat rounded when spread. The whitish barbels under the jaw 

 distinguish it from other bullheads. The length is 12 to 18 inches. 



The northern yellow bullhead ranges from North Dakota to New 

 York and southward to Texas and Tennessee. Although present in the 

 Great Lakes drainage it seems to be absent from the Lake Superior 

 drainage. Other subspecies occur coastwise from the Hudson River 

 drainage southward (Hubbs and Lagler, 1941) . There is hardly a shal- 

 low lake tributary to the L^pper Mississippi River where this species is 

 not abundant, and it occurs with other bullheads in most of the lakes 

 and sluggish streams of southern Minnesota. It does not occur in the 

 Red River drainage, nor is it found in the deep northern lakes. It is 

 widespread in Wisconsin, except in the Superior drainage, and is 

 common in Iowa, especially in the larger streams. 



In common with other bullheads it has exceedingly interesting spawn- 

 ing habits. Examination of a few females 10 to 11 inches long showed 

 an average of about 4000 eggs in their ovaries. From the time the eggs 

 are deposited in May or June until the young have attained a length 

 of nearly 2 inches they are closely guarded by the parent male fish. In 

 quiet water schools of several hundred young are found feeding and 

 moving in a compact group near the surface, with the guardian parent 

 a foot or two away actively engaged in warding off all intruders. 



Like all the catfishes this species is a scavenger, eating everything 

 dead or alive found in the water, such as minnows, crayfishes, insect 

 larvae, and water snails. Water plants often form a large part of its 

 diet. The young feed principally on Entomostraca and insect larvae. 

 Notwithstanding their coarse food habits bullheads are excellent pan 

 fishes, the flesh being fine, firm, and of delicious flavor. The bullhead 

 bites readily on almost any kind of bait. Owing to its thin skin this 

 species is probably more difficult to skin than any of the other bull- 

 heads. 



9 



GENUS Pilodictis Rafinesque 



These are large catfishes with slender bodies and much-flattened 

 heads. The lower jaw is much projected. The anal fin has 12 to 15 rays. 

 Only one species, which ranges in the Mississippi drainage, occurs in 

 this genus. 



