AMEIURUS BULLHEADS; HOENED POUT 185 



known distinctively of its habits, commercial value, or edible 

 qualities. M. Montpetit, writing of the fishes of Canada, 

 speaks enthusiastically of it as a food species, and describes 

 the methods of catching it in the St. Lawrence. 



AMEIURUS NATALIS (L E SUEUK) 



YELLOW BULLHEAD 

 (PL., P. 187; MAP LIII) 



Le Sueur, 1819, M6m. Mus., V, 154 (Pimelodus). 



G. ( V, 101 (Amiurus); J. & G., 105 and 881 (bolli); M. V., 40; J. & E. ( I, 139; N., 50 



(cupreus); J., 66 (Amiurus); F., 83 (Ictalurus); F, F.. II. 7, 459 (Ictalurus); 



L., 9. 



Body stout, sometimes obese, rather short and thick and tapering but 

 little from dorsal to adipose fin, depth 3.5 to 3.9 in length; profile low, the 

 elevation from snout to dorsal fin 10 to 14; caudal peduncle deep, 1.7 to 2.2 

 in head; skin thick, the epidermis of belly very coarse; fleshy prominences 

 covered with thick and loose skin on either side of a median groove through 

 occipital region to base of dorsal. Length 12 to 18 inches, not often found 

 over 12 inches. Color of upper parts yellowish green to blackish, the sides 

 lighter, yellowish brown or waxy yellow; belly yellow; nasal and maxillary 

 barbels light brownish, lower barbels pinkish buff; fin membranes very 

 weakly pigmented, the rays lighter. Head large, broad, and somewhat de- 

 pressed, its length 3.1 to 3.5 in body, its greatest width through the cheeks, 

 the breadth here about same as depth of body at front of dorsal; nose short and 

 broadly rounded; mouth wide, horizontal, upper jaw usually slightly longer 

 than lower, maxillary barbels reaching about to posterior edge of opercles; 

 eye small, 7.2 to 8.5 in head. Dorsal fin small and low; the spine rather short, 

 2.2 to 2.6 in body. Caudal rather short, rounded posteriorly. Anal fin of 24 

 to 27 rays, including rudiments, usually 25 or 26, the longest rays somewhat 

 less than depth of caudal peduncle; base of fin 3.5 to 4 in length of body, 

 the free margin but slightly rounded, almost straight from the fifth to the 

 twentieth ray. Pectoral spine strong, its length about same as dorsal spine, 

 usually smooth, but sometimes weakly serrate near tip; humeral process 1.8 

 to 2.2 in pectoral spine. 



An abundant species throughout the state, but much less 

 so than the black bullhead (Ameiurus melas). Taken in 122 of 

 our collections. It is commonest in creeks, and next in lowland 

 lakes, the coefficients for these two situations being 2.22 and 1.18 

 respectively. In local distribution it contrasts in an interesting 

 way with the brown bullhead, which is much the commonest 

 in lakes and ponds, and comparatively scarce in creeks, where 

 its frequency coefficient is only .28. These species resemble 

 each other so closely that they are not often distinguished by 

 fishermen, and their food and habits are virtually identical. 



21 F 



