90 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



50 Ameiurus melas (Rafinesque) 

 Black Bullhead; Brown Catfish 



Silurus melas RAFINESQUE, Quart. Jour. Sci. Lit. Arts. Dond. 51, 1820. 

 Pimelodus pullus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 184, pi. XXXVII, fig. 117, 



1842. 

 Amiurus pullus GILL, Proc. Bast. Soc. Nat. Hist. 44, 1862; JORDAN, Bull. 10, 



U. S. Nat. Mus. 93, figs. 46, 47, 1877; GOODE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. TJ. S. 



I, pi. 233, fig. 1, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 16, 1893. 

 Ameiurus melas JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 141, 1896. 



The body of the black bullhead is stout, short and deep. Its 

 depth is contained about three and one half times in its length 

 to tail; in very deep examples but three and one fifth times. The 

 length of the head is contained three and one half times in this 

 length. The head is broad, the dorsal profile straight and 

 rather steep from tip of snout to dorsal fin; eye rather small; 

 barbels long; caudal peduncle stout. Dorsal I, 6; the spine 

 strong and sharply pointed. The hight of the dorsal fin equals 

 one half the length of head. The anal has 18 rays; its base is 

 two and one half times as long as dorsal base. The pectoral fin 

 has one sharp spine and seven rays. Tail truncate; adipose fin 

 well developed; teeth very fine, awl-shaped and in broad bands. 

 Its color is usually blackish or dusky brown, approaching to 

 black, while the lower parts are bluish white. The fins are 

 black, tinged with red, and the barbels are black. The color is 

 subject to considerable variation. The black bullhead reaches 

 the length of 1 foot. It is found in the Great lakes region and 

 in the Mississippi valley, westward to Kansas and southward to 

 Texas. 



This species was known to De Kay as the brown catfish. 

 His specimens were from Lake Pleasant and Lake Janet, N. Y.; 

 and he states that it is also very common in many other lakes 

 of northern New York, where its principal use is to serve as bait 

 for the lake trout. Dr Jordan had it from the Genesee river. 

 Dr Evermann obtained a specimen in Mill creek at Sacketts 

 Harbor N. Y. July 2, 1894, and doubtfully referred to this species 

 a young individual collected in Sandy creek, at North Hamlin 

 N. Y. Aug. 20, 1894. 



