Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Hybrid black, yellow and brown bullheads

There is a chance that I will be able to work with a 5-acre lakes with a current population of black bullheads. Since there is no chance of removing the bullheads, I thought of adding yellow bullheads for some variety. Does anyone know anything about the likelyhood of bullhead species hybridizing in this type of situation?

Norm I thought I saw something on bullheads. I will check and report back.

Norm from this I would say it is a good chance they may cross.


Channel catfish have been know to mate with flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus), white catfish (Ameiurus catus), brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus), yellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis), and black bullhead (Ameiurus melas), resulting in a variety of hybrid catfish.

[URL=http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:yrl2DfZkRocJ:www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/ChannelCatfish/ChannelCatfish.html+%22Ameiurus+natalis%22+%22Yellow+bullhead%
22++black+bullhead+hybrid&hl=en]http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:yrl2DfZkRocJ:www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/ChannelCatfish/ChannelCatfish.html+%22Ameiurus+natalis%22+ %22Yellow+bullhead%22++black+bul lhead+hybrid&hl=en[/URL]


Table 1. Fish hybrids documented by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency since1980
[Source: Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (1983a, 1983b, 1984a, 1984b, 1985, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997)]
... Brown bullhead x black bullhead ... Yellow bullhead x brown bullhead ....


Black Bullhead, Ameiurus melas

Similar species:
· Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus)
· White catfish (Ameiurus catus)
· Flat bullhead (Ameiurus platycephalus)
· Snail bullhead (Ameiurus brunneus)

Reproductive Habits:
· Mature at age 2 or 3
· Spawning probably occurs in late May and June at 21-30ºC
· Spawn over sand in backwaters
· Fecundity is 2,550-3,850 eggs per female
· Hybridizes naturally with brown bullhead

· Hard to distinguish from the brown bullhead (A. nebulosus)

Norm I doubt that you will see any hybrid bullheads from this 5 acre lake. Bullheads are pretty territorial when building a nest and during incubation. A pond in AL that contained yellow and brown bullheads was drained. No hybrids were found when the pond was drained. I think instinctive behavior during nest construction and spawning would prevent any hybrids from occuring naturally. The only chance of bullhead hybrids occurring would be due to simultaneous spawning in very crowded nest sites which is not likely to occur in a five acre lake.

There are not very many records of naturally occuring bullhead hybrids. I think blacks and browns are most likely to naturally hybridize. However there are several instances of numerous combinations of experimental bullhead hybrids.

Norm :

Here is the Ohio link and discussion and chart pg. 7 which notes some of the same matters about crowding. I would agree with Bill that this must not occur much because their is almost no discussion of it in the studies. The very limited info I found (was hard to locate) and appeared to be offhanded, as in not a problem.

http://studentresearch.wcp.muohio.edu/april01/fish_sp_miami_basin.pdf

Norm -- a few of the area lakes have blacks and yellows. I'm thinking right now of Goldsmith, which has both, including some 1.5 pound yellows. They are pretty darn cool looking, with that more extended anal fin. They almost look like a large version of a stonecat or madtom. I saw no evidence of hybridization in Goldsmith, but can't say for certain I would recognize it. However, it sure seemed simple to sort the bullies into the two species. I don't recall any "tweeners."