European bullhead

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European bullhead
Cottus Pesh.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Cottidae
Genus: Cottus
Species:
C. gobio
Binomial name
Cottus gobio
Synonyms [2]
  • Cottus gobio gobio Linnaeus, 1758
  • Cottus affinis Heckel, 1837
  • Cottus ferrugineus Bonaparte, 1846
  • Cottus ferrugineus Heckel & Kner, 1858
  • Cottus gobio macrostomus Jeitteles, 1863
  • Cottus gobio jaxartensis Berg, 1916
  • Cottus jaxartensis Berg, 1916
  • Cottus gobio roseus Odenwall, 1927
  • Cottus gobio pellegrini Vladykov, 1931
  • Cottus gobio pellegrini Băcescu & Băcescu-Mester, 1964

The European bullhead [1] [3] (Cottus gobio) is a freshwater fish that is widely distributed in Europe, mainly in rivers. It is a member of the family Cottidae, a type of sculpin. It is also known as the miller's thumb, freshwater sculpin, common bullhead, [2] [3] and cob.

Contents

The European bullhead is a small demersal fish that lives both in cold, clear, fast-flowing small streams and in middle-sized rivers. It also occurs on gravelly shores of cold lakes. Further, it thrives in diluted brackish water of the Northern Baltic Sea. [2]

Description

European bullhead on stamp Unsere Susswasserfische (Tafel 11) (6102597595).jpg
European bullhead on stamp

The bullhead has a large broad head and tapering body, large fins and a rounded tail. The eyes are located near the top of the head. To the distinction from the other freshwater sculpin species found in Northern Europe, it can be told from the alpine bullhead Cottus poecilopus by the fact that the rays of its pelvic fins are of similar lengths while the first and last rays are longer in the alpine bullhead. It can be distinguished from the fourhorn sculpin by the fact that the dorsal and anal fins terminate close to the tail giving a short caudal peduncle. When it rests on the bottom, the pectoral fins flare out resembling wings. The bullhead is usually about 6 to 8 cm (2.4 to 3.1 in) long and is light brown mottled with darker colour. The pelvic fins are colourless and lack the stripes of the alpine bullhead. [4]

Biology

Food items eaten by the bullhead include benthic insects, crustaceans and other invertebrates. [2] It breeds in the spring. The male digs a shallow hollow in which batches of eggs are deposited by several females. He then guards the nest for the month or so that it takes for the eggs to hatch. [4]

Systematics and distribution

Total distribution of the Cottus gobio complex RangemapofCottusgobio.jpg
Total distribution of the Cottus gobio complex

The European bullhead, as treated above, is widespread over most of the subcontinent and in the UK, but absent from the southern peninsulae and from Northern Scandinavia. It is not a single uniform taxon, however, but composed of morphologically and genetically differentiated subunits. Some of those have been distinguished already long time ago as separate subspecies or species with their own names, while in practice they have still mostly been treated under the concept of Cottus gobio. In 2005, Freyhof et al. suggested subdivision of the European Cottus gobio into fourteen distinct species, of which six had been described earlier and eight were newly described and named. [5]

Additionally, Cottus ferrugineus is said to occupy Italy and the Balkans, [6] but this taxon is considered invalid.

For instance, in this classification the British bullhead are Cottus perifretum. In common usage in the UK, especially by conservation authorities, they are still mostly treated as Cottus gobio. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Related Research Articles

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The spoonhead sculpin is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is widespread in northeastern North America.

<i>Cottus</i> (fish) Genus of fishes

Cottus is a genus of the mainly freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. They are often referred to as the "freshwater sculpins", as they are the principal genus of sculpins to be found in fresh water. They are native to the Palearctic and Nearctic.

<i>Cottus petiti</i> Species of fish

Cottus petiti, also called the chabot du Lez in French, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is endemic to France, found only in a small 3 km stretch of the river Lez in Southern France near Montpellier. The natural habitat is fed by karstic springs which may have enabled the isolated survival of the population through geological history. Now the species may be threatened by habitat loss. The males of this species are typically 56 mm in length. This species was confirmed as a separate species from the European bullhead in 2005 by Jörg Freyhof, Maurice Kottelat and Arne W. Nolte. The specific name honours the zoologist and anatomist Georges Petit (zoologie) of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine bullhead</span> Species of fish

The alpine bullhead or Siberian bullhead is a species of freshwater fish in the family Cottidae of sculpins. It is found in China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, North Korea, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, and Ukraine. This fish is listed as being of "Least Concern" by the IUCN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fourhorn sculpin</span> Species of fish

The fourhorn sculpin is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species has a Holarctic distribution and can be found in marine, brackish and fresh waters.

Cottus scaturigo, the Timavo sculpin, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is endemic to the Timavo Spring in Italy. This species was described as a separate species from the European bullhead in 2005 by Jörg Freyhof, Maurice Kottelat and Arne W. Nolte. However, the Catalog of Fishes treats this taxon as a synonym of Cottus metae, although FishBase treats it as a separate species. The specific name scaturigo means “spouting water”, i.e. a spring, an allusion to the Timavo Spring.

<i>Cottus microstomus</i> Species of fish

Cottus microstomus is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found in Eastern Europe and is widespread in the Dniester drainage, Odra and Vistula drainages, most likely extending further east to the Gulf of Finland. It is part of the wider European Cottus gobio complex, and possibly makes hybrid zones with Cottus gobio and Cottus koshewnikowi. It is a demersal fish, up to 10.1 cm long.

<i>Cottus rondeleti</i> Species of fish

Cottus rondeleti is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is endemic to the coastal Hérault drainage of Southern France. The total known distribution comprises three distinct short stretches of stream, and the species considered critically endangered because of threat of drought that is promoted by water extraction and potentially by climate change.

Cottus altaicus is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is endemic to western Siberia in Russia. Its range includes the Irtysh River basin in the Altai region. It reaches a maximum length of 8.1 cm. It was previously considered a subspecies of the alpine bullhead.

<i>Cottus aturi</i> Species of fish

Cottus aturi, the Adour sculpin or Chabot du Béarn, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found in France and Spain. It inhabits the Adour and Nivelle river drainages. It reaches a maximum length of 10 cm (3.9 in). It prefers streams with clear, cool, moderate to swift water and stone substrate. This species was described as a separate species from the European bullhead in 2005 by Jörg Freyhof, Maurice Kottelat and Arne W. Nolte.

<i>Cottus duranii</i> Species of fish

Cottus duranii, the Dordogne sculpin or Chabot d’Auvergne, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found in France. It inhabits the Loire and Dordogne river drainages. It reaches a maximum length of 10.0 cm. It prefers streams with clear, cool, moderate to swift water and stone substrate. This species was described as a separate species from the European bullhead in 2005 by Jörg Freyhof, Maurice Kottelat and Arne W. Nolte. The specific name durani means “of Duranius”, the Latin name of the River Dordogne.

<i>Cottus rhenanus</i> Species of fish

Cottus rhenanus is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found in France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. It inhabits the Rhine and Meuse river drainages. It reaches a maximum length of 10.0 cm. It prefers streams with clear, cool, moderate to swift water and stone substrate. Here, it mostly occurs in the shallow parts of streams. This species was described as a separate species from the European bullhead in 2005 by Jörg Freyhof, Maurice Kottelat and Arne W. Nolte. The specific name rhenatus means belonging to Rhenus, the Latin name of the River Rhine.

Cottus haemusi is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found in Bulgaria. It inhabits the River Beli Vit of the Danube river drainage. It reaches a maximum length of 10.0 cm.

Cottus hispaniolensis is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found in France and Spain. It inhabits the Garonne river drainage. It reaches a maximum length of 10.5 cm. It prefers streams with clear, cool, moderate to swift water and stone substrate. This taxon was originally described as a subspecies of the European bullhead, C. g. hispaniolensis, and was formally described as a separate species from the European bullhead in 2005 by Jörg Freyhof, Maurice Kottelat and Arne W. Nolte.

Cottus koshewnikowi, Koshewnikow's sculpin, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It inhabits the upper Volga drainage in Russia and drainages of the northern and eastern Baltic Sea from Estonia eastward and northward to Finland and northern Sweden. In coastal waters of the Northern Baltic Sea it forms hybrid populations with the more western bullhead species Cottus gobio.

Cottus metae is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It inhabits the upper Save River system in the Danube basin. It reaches a maximum length of 9.7 cm. It prefers small streams to medium-sized rivers. This species was described as a separate species from the European bullhead in 2005 by Jörg Freyhof, Maurice Kottelat and Arne W. Nolte. The specific name 'honours the Slovenian biologist Meta Povž, in recognition of her assistance to the authors in a variety of projects.

<i>Cottus perifretum</i> Species of fish

Cottus perifretum, the bullhead or miller’s thumb, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is found on both sides of the English Channel, native to Great Britain. It also inhabits Atlantic drainages from the Garonne River to the Scheldt in France and Belgium, and the Moselle and Sieg in Germany. It is considered invasive in the Rhine drainage in Germany and the Netherlands. This invasive population in the Rhine is an intermediate between this species and Cottus rhenanus. Although this species is native to England and Wales it is considered to be a non-native invasive species in Scotland.

Cottus transsilvaniae is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is endemic to Romania in the upper Arges River in the Danube drainage. It reaches a maximum length of 9.7 cm. It prefers rocky shoals and riffles of small upland streams. his species was described as a separate species from the European bullhead in 2005 by Jörg Freyhof, Maurice Kottelat and Arne W. Nolte. The specific name transsilvaniae means “of Transsilvania”, the Latin name of the Transylvania.

<i>Cottus cyclophthalmus</i> Species of fish

Cottus cyclophthalmus is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is found in northeastern Europe, in the Neman River and Venta River drainages in the basin of the Baltic Sea. This species is similar to the European bullhead but is distinguished by uts round, protruding and tubular eyes set close to the front of head; papillae in the skin on the top and sides of the head, a scale-less body without any bony prickles and a complete sensory canal on the flanks which has 32–36 pores. It is classified within the subgenus Cottus and the specific name cyclophthalmus is a compound of cyclos, meaning "round", and ophthalmus, which mean "eye", an allusion to the round, tubular eyes.

<i>Cottus jaxartensis</i> Species of fish

Cottus jaxartensis is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This fish is endemic to the basin of the Syr-Darya in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. This species is classified within the nominate subgenus of the genus Cottus and it is closely related to the European bullhead of which it was considered as subspecies. The specific name, jaxartensis, means "of the Jaxartes", the ancient name of the Syr Darya River.

References

  1. 1 2 Freyhof, J. (2016) [errata version of 2011 assessment]. "Cottus gobio". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2011: e.T5445A97802083. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T5445A11147263.en . Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Cottus gobio" in FishBase. August 2022 version.
  3. 1 2 "Cottus gobio". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 24 January 2006.
  4. 1 2 "Bullhead: Cottus gobio". NatureGate. Retrieved 2013-12-17.
  5. ↑ Jörg Freyhof, Maurice Kottelat, Arne Nolte (2005) Taxonomic diversity of European Cottus with description of eight new species (Teleostei: Cottidae) Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters 16, 107-172.
  6. ↑ Kottelat, M. (1997). "European freshwater fishes". Biologia (Bratislava). 52 supplement 5: 1–271.
  7. ↑ "Bullhead Cottus gobio". NBN Nature Spot.
  8. ↑ Tomlinson ML & Perrow MR (2003). "Ecology of the Bullhead Cottus gobio". Conserving Natura 2000 Rivers Ecology Series No. 4 (PDF). Peterborough: English Nature. ISBN   185716-704-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2008.
  9. ↑ JNCC Joint Nature Conservation Committee. "Bullhead Cottus gobio - SAC selection species account". DEFRA.
  10. ↑ "Bullhead Cottus gobio". The Wildlife Trusts. March 2016.
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