Ameiurus natalis • Ictaluridae • Cat-eLog

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Ameiurus natalis** (Lesueur, 1819)
Common Name(s)	Butter Catfish, White Whiskered Bullhead, Yellow Belly Catfish, Yellow Bullhead
Type Locality	Upper Canada.
Synonym(s)	Ictalurus natalis, Pimelodus natalis
Pronunciation	Ai MEE you russ - nay taal iss
Etymology	Ameiurus: ''curtailed'' refers to the lack of a deep notch in the caudal fin. The specific etymology comes from the Latin ''nates'' or buttocks, probably in reference to the enlarged cheek muscles of breeding males.
Species Information
Size	420mm (16.5") SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	The yellow, brown and black bullheads look very similar to each other, but the yellow bullhead is easily distinguished from the other two species by their yellow or white (vs. dusky or black) mandibular barbels.
Sexing	Males have an elongate genital papilla. Breeding males have greatly expanded head muscles.
Habitat Information
Distribution	North America: native to Atlantic and Gulf Slope drainages from New York to northern Mexico, and St. Lawrence-Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins from southern Quebec west to central North Dakota. Widely introduced outside native range. North American Atlantic Drainages (click on these areas to find other species found there) Gulf Coast Drainages, Mississippi (click on these areas to find other species found there) North American Atlantic Drainages, Great Lakes (click on these areas to find other species found there) Gulf Coast Drainages (click on these areas to find other species found there) (Click the map-icon to show/hide map of species distribution)
pH	6.0 - 8.0
Temperature	5.0-25.0°C or 41-77°F (Show others within this range)
Other Parameters	A hardy fish that can live in a wide variety of conditions. Able to withstand lower temperatures, so heating is not necessary. Can be maintained in outdoor ponds if winters are mild.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	In the wild, the yellow bullhead feeds on crustaceans, aquatic insects, worms, beetles and small fishes. Not a fussy feeder in captivity, taking both prepared and frozen food readily. Will eat smaller fishes if given the chance.
Furniture	Inhabits streams and lakes with sandy bottoms. Best maintained in an aquarium of 55 gallons or larger. Provide ample hiding places.
Compatibility	Peaceful both with other fish. Conspecifics may establish a dominance order based on size. Should not be kept with tankmates small enough to be eaten.
Suggested Tankmates	Larger North American native fishes like sunfish and yellow perch, given its propensity for eating smaller tankmates.
Breeding	Breeding occurs primarily in the late spring and early summer. Shallow nests are prepared by one or both parents, by fanning the pelvic, anal and caudal fins, shoving material out with their snout, or picking up material in their mouth and carrying them away from the nest. During spawning, the fish lie side by side, facing in opposite directions and twisting their caudal fins over the eyes and head of each other. About 650-7000 eggs are laid, with the eggs, which are yellowish and are about 2.5-3.0 mm in diameter, hatching in about 5-10 days. The male then guards the nest, fanning the egg mass, yawning widely over the nest, or even taking the egg mass into the mouth (possibly to aerate them). Upon hatching, the young cluster together in a mass at the bottom of the nest, and the adult fish may approach the mass and agitate it with their barbels; this apparently moves the larvae near the bottom of the mass to its surface. The fry are guarded until they reach about 25 mm TL.
Further Information
References	Mem. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat.v. 5 - pp154 A Field Guide To Freshwater Fishes North America North American Native Fishes for the Home Aquarium American Aquarium Fishes
Registered Keepers	(1) DeepFriedIctalurus, (2) Silurus, (3) Demon_fish, (4) neolamp, (5) Belial, who also notes: "my favorite type of catfish hooray", (6) orspearo666, who also notes: "wild caught specimen. eats well and is growing very fast", (7) fishlvr, (8) bapachu (p: 2), (9) EMax, (10) Timberwolf, (11) jpac716, (12) AvengedKombat, (13) tbinchrist, (14) in_the_seance, (15) Goodeid608. Click on a username above to see all that persons registered catfish species. You can also view all "my cats" data for this species.
Breeding Reports	None.
Articles	- CotM 2003 November
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Last Update	2005 Aug 21 00:00 (species record created: 2001 Apr 25 00:00)

Cat-eLog Data Sheet

Scientific Name

Ameiurus natalis (Lesueur, 1819)

Common Name(s)

Butter Catfish, White Whiskered Bullhead, Yellow Belly Catfish, Yellow Bullhead

Type Locality

Upper Canada.

Synonym(s)

Ictalurus natalis, Pimelodus natalis

Pronunciation

Ai MEE you russ - nay taal iss

Etymology

Ameiurus: ''curtailed'' refers to the lack of a deep notch in the caudal fin. The specific etymology comes from the Latin ''nates'' or buttocks, probably in reference to the enlarged cheek muscles of breeding males.

Species Information

Size

420mm (16.5") SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.

Identification

The yellow, brown and black bullheads look very similar to each other, but the yellow bullhead is easily distinguished from the other two species by their yellow or white (vs. dusky or black) mandibular barbels.

Sexing

Males have an elongate genital papilla. Breeding males have greatly expanded head muscles.

Habitat Information

Distribution

North America: native to Atlantic and Gulf Slope drainages from New York to northern Mexico, and St. Lawrence-Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins from southern Quebec west to central North Dakota. Widely introduced outside native range.
North American Atlantic Drainages (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Gulf Coast Drainages, Mississippi (click on these areas to find other species found there)
North American Atlantic Drainages, Great Lakes (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Gulf Coast Drainages (click on these areas to find other species found there)

(Click the map-icon to show/hide map of species distribution)

6.0 - 8.0

Temperature

5.0-25.0°C or 41-77°F (Show others within this range)

Other Parameters

A hardy fish that can live in a wide variety of conditions. Able to withstand lower temperatures, so heating is not necessary. Can be maintained in outdoor ponds if winters are mild.

Husbandry Information

Feeding

In the wild, the yellow bullhead feeds on crustaceans, aquatic insects, worms, beetles and small fishes. Not a fussy feeder in captivity, taking both prepared and frozen food readily. Will eat smaller fishes if given the chance.

Furniture

Inhabits streams and lakes with sandy bottoms. Best maintained in an aquarium of 55 gallons or larger. Provide ample hiding places.

Compatibility

Peaceful both with other fish. Conspecifics may establish a dominance order based on size. Should not be kept with tankmates small enough to be eaten.

Suggested Tankmates

Larger North American native fishes like sunfish and yellow perch, given its propensity for eating smaller tankmates.

Breeding

Breeding occurs primarily in the late spring and early summer. Shallow nests are prepared by one or both parents, by fanning the pelvic, anal and caudal fins, shoving material out with their snout, or picking up material in their mouth and carrying them away from the nest. During spawning, the fish lie side by side, facing in opposite directions and twisting their caudal fins over the eyes and head of each other. About 650-7000 eggs are laid, with the eggs, which are yellowish and are about 2.5-3.0 mm in diameter, hatching in about 5-10 days. The male then guards the nest, fanning the egg mass, yawning widely over the nest, or even taking the egg mass into the mouth (possibly to aerate them). Upon hatching, the young cluster together in a mass at the bottom of the nest, and the adult fish may approach the mass and agitate it with their barbels; this apparently moves the larvae near the bottom of the mass to its surface. The fry are guarded until they reach about 25 mm TL.

Further Information

References

Mem. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat.v. 5 - pp154
A Field Guide To Freshwater Fishes North America
North American Native Fishes for the Home Aquarium
American Aquarium Fishes

Registered Keepers

(1) DeepFriedIctalurus, (2) Silurus, (3) Demon_fish, (4) neolamp, (5) Belial, who also notes: "my favorite type of catfish hooray", (6) orspearo666, who also notes: "wild caught specimen. eats well and is growing very fast", (7) fishlvr, (8) bapachu (p: 2), (9) EMax, (10) Timberwolf, (11) jpac716, (12) AvengedKombat, (13) tbinchrist, (14) in_the_seance, (15) Goodeid608.

Click on a username above to see all that persons registered catfish species. You can also view all "my cats" data for this species.

Breeding Reports

None.

Articles