Snail bullhead

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Snail bullhead
Snailbullhead.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Ictaluridae
Genus: Ameiurus
Species:
A. brunneus
Binomial name
Ameiurus brunneus
Jordan, 1877
Synonyms [2]

Amiurus brunneusJordan, 1877Ictalurus brunneus(Jordan, 1877)

Contents

The snail bullhead (Ameiurus brunneus) is a bony fish in the family Ictaluridae distributed widely in the southeastern United States. Among its bullhead catfish congeners, it has many North American relatives, like the brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) and black bullhead (Ameirurus melas). The species was described in 1877 by David Starr Jordan in the Ocmulgee River in Georgia. [3]

Little is known about this species of fish [4] and it is not a particularly prized fish due to its small size. The only known alias is the general vernacular term for all catfish in the United States, "mudcat".

Description

Lateral radiograph NMNH-usnm 17861 Ameiurus brunneus lype xray lateral.jpg
Lateral radiograph

The snail bullhead grows to an adult size of approximately 11.4 inches (29 cm) in fluvial habitat and up to 17.6 inches (45 cm) in disturbed habitats, such as reservoirs and impounded rivers. [5] The fish has a has a flat head, typical of North American ictalurids, eight maxillary mouth barbels, a rounded anal fin, an emarginate tail, two pectoral fins, an adipose fin and a body lacking scales. The anal fin of A. brunneus typically has 17 to 20 fin rays, [6] [7] fewer than that of a related species, the flat bullhead (A. platycephalus), [8] although some individuals may have as many as 22 rays. [7] They also have three spines, one on the dorsal and two on the pectoral fins, which are coated with a toxic irritant that inflicts local pain and swelling as a defense against predation. [9] The pectoral spines have fine serrations, [7] but lack coarse teeth, which helps to distinguish snail bullheads from spotted bullheads (A. serracanthus). [10] A. brunneus can vary greatly in color but the most commonly observed morphs have brown to yellow-green backs with mottled sides and a white belly. [5] There is a dark spot or bar that colors the base of the dorsal fin. [3] [5] It should also be noted that these fish are ectothermic, bilaterally symmetrical and nocturnal.[ citation needed ]

Distribution

The snail bullhead has a native range in the Southeast. They primarily occur from Virginia to Florida through Alabama. The uppermost portion of their range is along the Dan River in Virginia along the Atlantic slope, down to the Altamaha River system in Georgia and ends at the St. John's River drainage in Florida. They also occur in the Gulf drainage such as Apalachicola River Drainage. [5] Their range in Georgia includes Tennessee, Coosa, Chattahoochee, Flint, Satilla, Ocmulgee, Oconee, Altamaha, Ogeechee, and Savannah River basins. [9]

The fish is relatively common in its home range. In South Carolina, they are most abundant in smaller streams in the upper Santee drainage but are more rare in coastal streams. [5] The largest abundance is in the Broad River Basin due to absence of introduced species.[ citation needed ]

Habitat

The snail bullhead is a generalist with its habitat. It has been found in shallow, slow water and, preferred, deep, fast water. [5] [9] They are found in riffles, runs and pools and streams, rivers and lakes. [5] As a nocturnal species, they prefer cover under rock and wood structures during the day and forage in the open at riffles at night. They prefer fast flowing water in high gradient streams due to the purity and clarity of the water but will also live in stagnant water. [9]

Diet

Little is known about to diet of snail bullheads with only a few studies ever being conducted. [4] They are known omnivorous benthic bottom feeders that use their barbels for taste, touch and reading electric currents due to their poor sight. [11] [ failed verification ] They are predators of invertebrates, like snails, crayfish and caddisflies, as well as other fish, mainly cyprinids. Additionally, they are believed to forage on filamentous algae and other plants, [12] :10 although these may be sourced indirectly from the ingestion of caddisfly larval cases. [4] It has also been observed that the diet of snail bullheads has similar composition across the lifespan. [12] :34

Conservation

The snail bullhead may currently be a species of "least concern", [13] but that doesn't mean it is safe. Their home range is decreasing due to a myriad of factors. The primary concern for the snail bullhead is the introduction of invasive species, in particular the flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris). The flathead has been known to prey upon the snail bullhead [5] [12] and greatly reduce populations in rivers. Flathead catfish also have a displacing effect on the snail bullhead by running them out of large rivers and confining them to smaller streams. [5] Flathead catfish are common because people intentionally stock them into rivers and streams as a sportfish, with unforeseen effects on native fauna. [14] Along with invasive predators, snail bullheads are threatened by sedimentation, hydrologic modification, impoundments, non-point source pollution and development. [5]

An analysis of the population of snail bullheads and other ictalurids in the Cape Fear River basin, published in 2021, supported previous recommendations [15] that the harvest of snail bullheads, along with their native bullhead relatives, be restricted in North Carolina. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altamaha River</span> River in Georgia, the United States of America

The Altamaha River is a major river in the U.S. state of Georgia. It flows generally eastward for 137 miles (220 km) from its origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties into the ocean near Brunswick, Georgia. No dams are directly on the Altamaha, though some are on the Oconee and the Ocmulgee. Including its tributaries, the Altamaha River's drainage basin is about 14,000 square miles (36,000 km2) in size, qualifying it among the larger river basins of the US Atlantic coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flathead catfish</span> Species of fish

The flathead catfish, also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. It is the only species of the genus Pylodictis. Ranging from the lower Great Lakes region to northern Mexico, it has been widely introduced and is an invasive species in some areas. The closest living relative of the flathead catfish is the much smaller widemouth blindcat, Satan eurystomus, a cavefish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocmulgee River</span> River in Georgia, United States

The Ocmulgee River is a western tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi (410 km) long, in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the westernmost major tributary of the Altamaha. It was formerly known by its Hitchiti name of Ocheese Creek, from which the Creek (Muscogee) people derived their name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ictaluridae</span> Family of fishes

The Ictaluridae, sometimes called ictalurids, are a family of catfish native to North America, where they are an important food source and sometimes fished for sport. The family includes about 51 species, some commonly known as bullheads, madtoms, channel catfish, and blue catfish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown bullhead</span> North American catfish species

The brown bullhead is a fish of the family Ictaluridae that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead and yellow bullhead. It was originally described as Pimelodus nebulosus by Charles Alexandre Lesueur in 1819, and is also referred to as Ictalurus nebulosus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walking catfish</span> Species of fish

The walking catfish is a species of freshwater airbreathing catfish native to Southeast Asia. It is named for its ability to "walk" and wiggle across dry land, to find food or suitable environments. While it does not truly walk as most bipeds or quadrupeds do, it can use its pectoral fins to keep it upright as it makes a wiggling motion with snakelike movements to traverse land. This fish normally lives in slow-moving and often stagnant waters in ponds, swamps, streams, and rivers, as well as in flooded rice paddies, or temporary pools that may dry up. When this happens, its "walking" skill allows the fish to move to other aquatic environments. Considerable taxonomic confusion surrounds this species and it has frequently been confused with other close relatives. One main distinction between the walking catfish and the native North American ictalurid catfish with which it sometimes is confused, is that the walking catfish lacks an adipose fin. It can survive 18 hours out of water.

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

The black bullhead or black bullhead catfish is a species of bullhead catfish. Like other bullhead catfish, it has the ability to thrive in waters that are low in oxygen, brackish, turbid, and/or very warm. It also has barbels located near its mouth, a broad head, spiny fins, and no scales. It can be identified from other bullheads as the barbels are black, and it has a tan crescent around the tail. Its caudal fin is truncated. Like virtually all catfish, it is nocturnal, preferring to feed at night, although young feed during the day. It generally does not get as large as the channel or blue catfish, with average adult weights are in the 1-to-2-pound range, and almost never as large as 4 pounds (1.8 kg). It has a typical length of 6–14 inches (15–36 cm), with the largest specimen being 24 inches (61 cm), making it the largest of the bullheads. It is typically black or dark brown on the dorsal side of its body and yellow or white on the ventral side.

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

The yellow bullhead is a species of bullhead catfish, a ray-finned fish that lacks scales.

<i>Ameiurus</i> Genus of fishes

Ameiurus is a genus of catfishes in the family Ictaluridae. It contains the three common types of bullhead catfish found in waters of the United States, the black bullhead, the brown bullhead, and the yellow bullhead, as well as other species, such as the white catfish, which are not typically called "bullheads".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Victoria squeaker</span> Species of fish

The Lake Victoria squeaker is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda where it is found in Lakes Kioga and Victoria and the Victorian Nile in the lower Kagera River and the Malagarasi River drainage. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1906, from specimens collected in the Lake Victoria at Buganga, Uganda and Entebbe, Uganda by Mr. E. Degen. The species name victoriae is derived from the location where the species was originally discovered, Lake Victoria.

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

The white bullhead, also known as the white catfish, is a member of the family Ictaluridae of the order Siluriformes.

Noturus flavus, the stonecat, is a North American freshwater catfish of the family Ictaluridae. The common name is due to its habit of hiding near or under stones in fast-moving water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bullhead minnow</span> Species of fish

The bullhead minnow is a species of freshwater demersal fish, native to the Mississippi River system in the United States, to tributaries of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan and to northern Mexico.

<i>Ameiurus platycephalus</i> Species of fish

Ameiurus platycephalus, the flat bullhead, is a species of North American freshwater catfish native to the waters of the southeastern United States from Virginia to Georgia. This species grows to a maximum length of 29 cm (11 in) TL though it is more commonly about 23 cm (9 in) long.

The goldstripe darter is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is endemic to the southeastern United States where it is found in Gulf Slope streams from the Colorado River drainage in Texas to the Flint River in Georgia, the Atlantic Slope in Ocmulgee River system, Georgia, and the Mississippi embayment north as far as southeastern Missouri and western Kentucky. It is typically found in small springs, streams, and creeks with aquatic and marginal vegetation and detritus. The female spawns on multiple occasions between about mid-March and June, sticking the adhesive eggs to plants, gravel and the sides of rocks. The goldstripe darter is a common species with a wide range and numerous sub-populations, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christmas darter</span> Species of ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae

The Christmas darter is a species of ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae which includes the perches, ruffes and pike-perches. It is found in the Savannah, Ogeechee and Altamaha catchment areas in South Carolina and Georgia. It is a small but colorful fish, typically less than 5 cm (2 in) in total length, with blackish, red and green streaks on its flanks. Green and red are associated with Christmas, hence the common name Christmas darter. Like other darters, it lives on or close to the stream-bed, in riffles and vegetation-laden stretches of small rivers, creeks and spring-fed streams. It feeds on aquatic insects and probably breeds in the spring, but its biology and behavior are poorly known.

The Ocmulgee shiner is a species of fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is endemic to the United States where it occurs in the Altamaha and Ogeechee river drainages in Georgia. It was first described in a book about fishes of upper Georgia. The author, Davis Starr Jordan, is credited with describing more than 2,500 species of fish in his lifetime. He first described this fish in his book fishes of upper Georgia in 1877.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altamaha shiner</span> Species of fish

The Altamaha shiner is a species of fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is endemic to the Piedmont region of Georgia, where it occurs in the upper areas of the Altamaha River drainage area, primarily above the fall line in north-central Georgia.

The spotted bullhead is a species of bullhead catfish endemic to the Southeastern United States.

References

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  2. "Ameiurus brunneus Jordan, 1877". Global Biodiversity Information Facility . Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  3. 1 2 Jordan, David Starr; Evermann, Barton Warren (1896). The Fishes of North and Middle America: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Species of Fish-like Vertebrates Found in the Waters of North America, North of the Isthmus of Panama, Part 1. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 142. Bulletin of the United States National Museum No. 47. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Lutz, Allison; Colón-Gaud, Jose; Vives, Stephen (24 January 2017). Diet of the Snail Bullhead (Ameiurus brunneus) in the Lower Ogeechee River. Georgia Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting (GA-AFS). Statesboro, GA. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Bettinger, Jason (2015). Scott, Mark; Gelder, Andrew R.; Cribb, M. Troy (eds.). "2015 State Wildlife Action Plan Supplemental Volume: Snail Bullhead" (PDF). South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  6. "Snail Bullhead". Florida Museum. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 Mettee, Maurice F.; O'Neil, Patrick E.; Pierson, J. Malcolm (2023) [Originally published 1996 in Fishes of Alabama and the Mobile Basin]. "Snail Bullhead". Outdoor Alabama. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  8. "Flat Bullhead". Florida Museum. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Species Profile: Snail Bullhead Ameiurus brunneus". www.roughfish.com. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  10. "Spotted Bullhead". Florida Museum. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  11. Diogo, Rui; Chardon, Michel (2000). "The Structures Associated With Catfish (Teleostei: Siluriformes) Mandibular Barbels: Origin, Anatomy, Function, Taxonomic Distribution, Nomenclature and Synonymy". Netherlands Journal of Zoology. 50 (4): 455–478. doi:10.1163/156854200X00207 . Retrieved 17 October 2022 via Google Scholar.
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  13. NatureServe (2013). "Ameiurus brunneus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  14. 1 2 Rachels, Kyle T. (2021). "Exploring Legacy Data Sets to Infer Spatial and Temporal Trends in the Ictalurid Assemblage of an Atlantic Slope River". North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 41 (S1): S195–S204. doi: 10.1002/nafm.10652 . ISSN   1548-8675. S2CID   236358487.
  15. "2019 Catfish Management Plan" (PDF). North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2022.