Distribution of Fishes in the Red River of the North Basin on Multivariate Environmental Gradients

Ictaluridae

Black Bullhead

Ameiurus melas (Rafinesque), the black bullhead, was collected by Woolman (1896) from the Goose, Maple, and Sheyenne Rivers, the former in which the species was considered common (Figure A46). Young reported it from the Sheyenne River in Ransom County in 1928 (UMMZ 1994); Hankinson (1928) reported it from the Red River; Hubbs and Schultz found it in the Maple River (UMMZ 1994); and Olson (1932) collected a few specimens from the Buffalo and Wild Rice Rivers in Minnesota. The black bullhead was reported as common in the Red River drainage by Eddy et al. (1972), and it has been collected from nearly every stream in the basin. Of the three species of Ameiurus present, the black bullhead has been most common, taken at 33% of stream sites sampled throughout the basin since 1962. It has been most common in the NGP ecoregion, where it has occurred at 60% of stream sites (Table 4). A population study determined the presence of 1-2 million bullheads in Lake Ashtabula (Sheyenne River) (Heim 1995). The species has been uncommon in the Red River proper and in northeastern reaches of the basin. It has never been found in the Roseau River or other sites sampled in the NMW ecoregion.

Figure A46. Distribution of the black bullhead in streams of the Red River of the North basin.

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