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Black Bullhead
Sam Kieschnick, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist

Catfish

Black Bullhead

Ameiurus melas (Rafinesque, 1820)

LC Least Concern

Names

EnglishBlack Bullhead
DutchZwarte dwergmeerval
SpanishBagre torito negro
Chinese黑𫚔
Sranan Tongokatfisi (general name for the group)
Scientific nameAmeiurus melas (Rafinesque, 1820)

About this species

The black bullhead or black bullhead catfish (Ameiurus melas) 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 (squared off at the corners). 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 (0.45 to 0.91 kg) 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.

Read more on Wikipedia · Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
OrderSiluriformes
FamilyIctaluridae
GenusAmeiurus

In Suriname

1Records in Suriname
2010First record

Where it has been recorded

  • Commewijne1

Districts with at least one record that has coordinates. Shaded districts have records.

Sources & credits

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