Burrowing Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus): North America's Muddy, Mighty, Maverick Freshwater Fish

The brown bullhead is a name which does not convey to the uninitiated exactly what it is. In fact, it may come as quite a surprise that the name is that of a fish. Such a strange designation provokes as many concerns about the brown bullhead’s appearance as it raises questions over the fish’s environmental role.

The common name of the brown bullhead: There are two main origins to the common names by which people in their daily lives designate the brown bullhead. One relates to the arrival of European settlers from the 17^th century onwards. The other traces back to the cultural beliefs of the Native Americans who inhabited North America by the time of European colonization.

In both instances, no one name comes down in regard to the original inventor of the common name. In regard to Native American cultures, it is known that the name memorializes a sea-born being who in ancient times established the guidelines for teaching and healing among the Ojibwe. In regard to European cultures, it is suggested that the common name derives from the aggressively bull-like behavior of spawning males as well as the bull-like look of the brown bullhead’s snout barbels (Latin: barbellus, “little beard”) or whiskers.

The scientific name of the brown bullhead: In addition to a common name, the brown bullhead can be called by its scientific name. The scientific name often is a two-part name by which the animal or plant in question is pigeon-holed in terms of attributes and occurrence. It also may be called a binomial (Latin: binōminis, “having two parts”) or Latin name since it brings together at least two words of Greek, Latin or mixed Greek and Latin origin.

French artist, explorer and naturalist Charles Alexander Lesueur (January 1, 1778-December 12, 1846) is recognized as the bestower of the brown bullhead’s scientific name. The Frenchman named the brown bullhead during a research trip to the Delaware River in 1819. He originally selected the name Pimelodus (Greek: πῑμελή, pimele, “fat” + Δόντι, donti, “teeth”) nebulosus (“cloudy, foggy, misty” from Latin: nebula, “cloud”), which he then changed to Ictalurus (Greek: ἰχθύς, ichthys, “fish” + αίλουρος, ailouros, “cat”) nebulosus.

In his description, Charles noted:

"This species is quite numerous in Philadelphia. It is seen from the beginning of the month of May until the first frost of winter; it is fished in the Delaware. Its flesh is white and highly regarded."

("Cette espèce est très nombreuse à Philadelphie. On la voit depuis le commencement du mois de mai jusqu’aux premiers froids de l’hiver; on la pêche dans la Delaware. Sa chair est blanche et très-estimée.") (p. 150)

Apparently the artistic French naturalist was impressed deeply by the brown bullhead, which Charles referenced with the common English name of yellow belly. After detailing the number of rays in each fin, Charles closed his description with a poignant, prescient observation:

"This is a fish which has an extremely hard life."

“C’est un poisson qui a la vie extrêmement dure.” (p. 150)

A third name change, to Ameiurus (Greek: αμείουρος, “privative, curtailed”) nebulosus, took place in the 20^th century. The change was based on an examination of fossil evidence. It also was influenced by a re-evaluation of the evolutionary paths and present traits of bullheads and other catfishes over the past 24 to 36 million years. Additionally, it was motivated by a re-examination of Ameiurus and Ictalurus as genera within the family of North American catfishes.

Biologists Richard E. Jenkins and Noel M. Burkhead wryly wrote regarding this last name change that:

“Thus we note this additional exception to the spelling rule that “i goes before e except after c” –-- and in Ameiurus.” (p. 538)

The home of the brown bullhead: The brown bullhead is native to Atlantic and Gulf draining slopes as well as to the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and Mississippi River basins. In Virginia, it therefore is found on the lower Delmarva Peninsula as well as slopes draining to the Atlantic Ocean. It also may be found on both the eastern and western sides of the Appalachian Mountains and elsewhere since it is a widely introduced species throughout North America. Additionally, it swims through connected water bodies to expand even further its distribution.

Within North America, the brown bullhead can be found in creeks; impoundments; lagoons; lakes; reservoirs; soft-bottomed ponds, rivers and streams; and wetlands. There, it handles the following conditions:

· Bacterial, chemical, nutrient, sediment and waste-induced pollution;

· Estuaries, with a salinity of 8% in Virginia and a maximum of 27% in North Carolina;

· 4+ hours out of water if kept moist and/or muddy;

· High carbon dioxide levels;

· Low oxygen levels, down to 1 part per million;

· Low visibility;

· Low water pH levels;

· Muddy stream bottoms in which to bury itself when water temperatures range between 32 and 64.4 ° F (0 and 18 °Celsius);

· Slow-moving, sluggish waters;

· Submerged timber and vegetation, including weed beds;

· Water temperatures ranging between 78 and 82 °F (°C) and even up to 88.88 °F (31.6 °C) and irregularly beyond until 99.5 °F (37.5 °C).

The look of the brown bullhead: The brown bullhead has an immediately recognizable look which brooks no interference and means business:

Head:

Big-lipped, wide mouth;

Buttery yellow underside to the head and lower jaw;

Distinct lump behind the head;

Large head with a relatively flattened bottom and relatively rounded top;

2 pairs of cat whisker- or worm-like chin barbels, 1 pair of mouth barbels at each corner, and 1 pair of snout barbels dark brown to nearly black, with occasional pale yellow or white base;

Rounded snout;

Small eyes;

Tiny, needle-like teeth in pads on lower and upper jaws;

Upper jaw jutting just a bit beyond the lower lip;

Body:

Chubby, somewhat arched;

Creamy white or pale grey belly;

Dark chocolate brown to greenish olive, grey, blue black leathery, scaleless, thick skin on the back and lighter sides with blotchy brown mottling or spots; or, according to Charles Lesueur, copper yellow with a tint of brown mottling on the back and sides ("Couleur jaune cuivrée avec une teinte brune disposée en nuage sur le dos et les côtés . . ." [p. 149]);

13 to 15 gill rakers;

Lateral line functioning as a sensory organ and running along each side, from the gill covers to the tail base;

Mature length of 6 to 22 inches (15.24 to 55.88 centimeters);

Mature weight of 2 to 5 pounds (0.91 to 2.27 kilograms), with a known maximum of 7 pounds 6 ounces (3.35 kilograms);

Mucous outer layer;

Orange-colored flesh;

Yellow or white belly;

Fins, rays and spines:

1 adipose (Latin: adeps, “soft fat of animals”) fin;

20 to 24 anal rays;

15 to 16 caudal (Latin: caudālis, “of or relating to the tail of an animal”) rays;

2 dorsal (Latin: dorsālis, “of or relating to the back”) fins;

Gently, slightly notched caudal fin;

1 each of jagged, rough anal, dorsal and pectoral spines;

Olive brown to black fins;

7 to 9 pectoral rays;

8 pelvic rays;

5 to 8 saw-like, sharp, tooth-like serrations located along rear edges of the dorsal and pectoral fin spines and releasing toxins when wounding predators or prey;

Squarish tail.

The spawning time of the brown bullhead: The brown bullhead can be a mid-spring to late summer spawner. In the north, it may not spawn until late June and early July. But in the southern states, it spawns as early as April. Specifically, in Virginia it will spawn while water temperatures range between 57.2 and 84.2 °F (14 and 29 °C) in June and July. During that period, the brown bullhead will spawn from early morning until early afternoon.

The female or male brown bullhead builds a nest in shallow water less than 2 feet (0.61 meters) deep. It creates the nest in the form of a shallow depression in the gravelly, muddy or sandy substrate. The nest may be built in cans and other litter; out in the open; or under submerged rocks, timber or vegetation. One nest may hold as many as 13,000 eggs. Each sticky egg measures about 1/8 inch (3.18 millimeters) in diameter.

The parents guard the eggs until hatching time. For 5 to 10 days, they move the cluster around with their barbels to keep the eggs oxygenated. They use their fins to fan and cool the eggs. The parental strategies will ensure proper development of the egg as well as its timely hatching.

The large yolk sac will hatch attached to the brown bullhead larvae. The larvae will resemble jet black tadpoles about 1/8 to ½ inch (3.18 to 12.7 millimeters) in length. They will stay in large but compact schools with their parents until they are about 2 inches (5.08 centimeters) long.

At the age of 1 year, the brown bullhead can measure 2-1/2 to 4 inches (6.5 to 10.16 centimeters). At the age of 3 years and the length of 7 to 8 inches (17.78 to 20.32 centimeters), it is considered sexually mature. It will live up to another 5 to 6 or even 9 years.

The diet of the brown bullhead: The brown bullhead is an opportunistic bottom feeder. As a predatory scavenger, it locates prey by brushing the stream bottom with its barbels. Taste buds on the barbels tell the brown bullhead whether or not contact is made with edible prey.

The juvenile brown bullhead is mainly a carnivore. It preys on amphipods, larvae of mosquito-like chironomids (Greek: χειρονόμος, cheironomos, “one who moves the hands,” e.g. front legs often raised and vibrated), mayflies, seed shrimp, and water fleas. It also will prey on the eggs and larvae of other fish.

The adult brown bullhead preys on beetles; caddisflies; carrion; clams; copepods; filamentous algae; fish; fish eggs (roe) of cisco (Coregonus artedi), herring (Clupea spp), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), and lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis); freshwater crayfish; frogs; insects; leeches; midges; mollusks; moss; plankton; snails; submerged plants; and worms.

The predators of the brown bullhead: Alligator (Macrochelys temminckii) and common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentine), fish, wading birds and water snakes (Nerodia spp) are the main predators of the brown bullhead young. Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy), northern pike (Esox lucius) and walleyes (Sander vitreus) consider the brown bullhead young a tasty meal. Additionally, perch (Perca spp), pickerel (Esox spp) and pike (Esox lucius) prey on the adult brown bullhead.

Parasites and people also can be included on the list of predators. Specifically, the brown bullhead is parasitized by copepods, freshwater mussel larvae, leeches, tapeworms, and trematodes (parasitic flatworms). It also is sought by anglers and fishers as well as consumers, educators, researchers and scientists.

The uses of the brown bullhead: Culture, educational entertainment, environmental research, fishing, and food are the main uses of the brown bullhead. In terms of culture, the brown bullhead figures among the names of the 12 Ojibwe tribes north of Lake Superior. The list of names, which is animal-based, also includes the bear, the eagle, the kingfisher, the loon, the moose, the pelican, the pike, the rattlesnake, the reindeer, the sturgeon, and the sucker.

In terms of educational entertainment, the brown bullhead can be a welcome addition to spacious aquaria. It does not require much attention. But it may take over since it is opportunistic in feeding, prolific in spawning, and sociable with its own co-spawners and young. It therefore will provide great learning fun if it shares space with prey which are present as fleeting food sources, not permanent residents.

In terms of environmental research, the brown bullhead is a top choice for medical and scientific experiments regarding environmental interactions with pollution and toxicity. Specifically, it may be the sole life form in water bodies heavily polluted by acid rain, chemical dumping, contaminated sediments, nutrient runoff, and waste products. It will exhibit impressively high levels of tolerance before it too shows itself not to be bullet-proof.

So doctors and scientists often opt for the brown bullhead when researching adaptative and non-adaptive reactions to extreme freshwater environments of high pollution and temperature levels and low dissolved oxygen and water pH levels. For example, study of the brown bullhead provides information on possible cause and effect links between sediments contaminated with polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and abnormal developments in the fishes of the Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes as well as southeastern Massachusetts. Abnormalities evidenced in the otherwise highly resistant brown bullhead range from abbreviated, knobbed or missing barbels to cancers and lesions of the eyes, liver, mouth, and skin as well as genetic damage to the red blood cells.

In terms of fishing, the brown bullhead can be easy to locate, but a challenge to move from the water to the fishing pail to the serving board. Indeed, Massachusetts-born naturalist Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817-May 6, 1862) cautioned:

“The Horned Pout, Pimelodus nebulosus, sometimes called Minister, from the peculiar squeaking noise it makes when drawn out of the water, is...like the eel vespertinal in his habits, and fond of the mud. It bites deliberately as if about its business. They are taken at night with a mass of worms strung on a thread, which catches in their teeth, sometimes three or four, with an eel, at one pull. They are extremely tenacious of life, opening and shutting their mouths for half an hour after their heads have been cut off.” (p. 38)

But the brown bullhead may be caught under the following conditions:

Times:

Throughout the day, but especially in late afternoon and night;

Places:

Boat docks, channel drops, river bends, and weed beds near shorelines;

Pond edges;

Methods:

Bottom or just above bottom fishing;

Lightweight, simple gear including long-shanked hooks for easy removal since the brown bullhead often swallows bait, hook and all;

Live bait, such as common earthworms; crickets; minnows; shrimp; worms;

Stink bait, such as chicken innards and rotting clams or minnows.

In terms of food, fishers and consumers consider the brown bullhead most edible while the flesh still is firm pink or red. Assuming that you are how you live and what you eat, they may prefer a brown bullhead caught in cleaner, clearer waters at temperatures more towards the lower ranges of the fish’s tolerances. At any rate, the brown bullhead will offer a healthy dose of calcium, niacin, potassium, selenium, and vitamins A, B12 and D. It will taste somewhat like trout, particularly when baked, fried or smoked.

The future of the brown bullhead: With its diverse defenses, formidable appearance and wide tolerances, the brown bullhead is first to survive and last to die in degraded, polluted, stressed environments. But environmental conditions may become too unsustainable for even this hardy indicator, keystone, obligate species of balance or catastrophe in muddy, warm, weedy waters. Such a situation already obtains in pockets of the eastern United States.

It therefore will become increasingly important to make sure that what a brown bullhead needs, a brown bullhead gets.

My special thanks to talented photographers and artists/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the Internet; as well as to Stessily for original artwork included below.

My special thanks to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Department of Agriculture for the professionalism which is evinced in the high-caliber data and images which they make available in print and on the internet.

My special thanks also to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for the high caliber of its online resources.

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"Brown Bullhead, Ameiurus nebulosus." EFISH: The Virtual Aquarium of The Department of Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences of Virginia Tech. http://cnre.vt.edu/efish/families/brnbull.html (Last accessed November 12, 2011)

“Does being in a Region of Concern cause tumors in brown bullhead catfish?” Environmental Contaminants. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region Chesapeake Bay Field Office. http://www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/studies.htm (Last accessed November 12, 2011)

Hart, David. Flyfisher’s Guide to Virginia Including West Virginia’s Best Fly Fishing Waters. Belgrade, MT: Wilderness Adventures Press, Inc., 2006.

Jenkins, Robert E. and Noel M. Burkhead. Freshwater Fishes of Virginia. Bethesda, MD: American Fisheries Society, 1994.

Lesueur, Charles A. Notice de quelques Poissons découverts dans les lacs du Haut-Canada, Durant l’été de 1816, par Ch. A. Le Sueur. Mémoires du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, tome cinquième: 148-61, 2 pls. Paris: A. Belin, 1819.

Rohde, Fred C., Rudolf G. Arndt, David G. Lindquist, and James F. Parnell. Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. Chapel Hill and London: The University of North Carolina Press, 1994.

Sturtevant, William C. Handbook of North American Indians: Subarctic. Smithsonian Institution, 1981. http://books.google.com/books?id=WOCL_SwWH-sC&lpg=PA242&ots=XCBiFS7Rnb&dq=brown%20bullhead%20in%20ojibwe%20culture&pg=PA242#v=onepage&q&f=false (Last accessed November 12, 2011)

Thoreau, Henry David. A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1868.

Copyright Saturday, November 12, 2011 by Derdriu