White bullhead

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

Habitat

Ameiurus catus prefers sluggish, mud-bottom pools and backwaters of rivers and streams, and does well in lakes and large impoundments.

Distribution

The white bullhead is native to river systems of the Eastern United States from the Hudson River in New York to the Peace River in Florida and west to the Apalachicola River, Florida. White bullheads may have migrated naturally into Connecticut rivers as a result of the white bullhead's salt tolerance. Elsewhere, the white bullhead has been widely introduced as a food and game fish, notably into California waters as a result of intentional stocking near Stockton in 1874. It has additionally become established in the Columbia River basin and in Puerto Rico as an introduced species. It was reportedly introduced to the Philippines but did not become established there. Escapees from fee-fishing ponds and stocked lakes have led to the establishment of white bullhead in Missouri.

Behaviour

White catfish feed mostly on the bottom, where they eat other fish and aquatic insects. They feed most actively at dusk and through the night mostly on bottom-dwelling insects, worms, amphipods, and other small invertebrates.