Black bullhead
Ameiurus melas
Black bullhead in our waters reach maximum sizes of 25-30 cm The body is very dark in color, almost black, and is not covered with scales. The head is very wide and flattened, with four pairs of barbels around the mouth. The dorsal fin and pectoralis have spiny radii. The caudal fin is slightly forked and has an adipose fin on the caudal peduncle.
It is a species native to North America, and was introduced years ago in Catalonia, but at present it is scarce.
It lives in stagnant or slow flowing waters. Tolerates water with low oxygen concentration and slightly polluted. They feed on invertebrates and plant debris.
Distribution
Channel catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
It is a large fish that can grow to more than 1 m in length with a weight greater than 15 kg. The body is dark gray or greenish, darker in adults, and with small black dots when they are young. Has 4 pairs of barbels surrounding the mouth. It differs from the black bullhead in that its tail fin is deeply forked. The first radius of the dorsal fin and pectoral fins is spiny and very sharp.
It is a species native to North America that appeared in Catalonia in 1995 in the lower Ebro, where it has been established although in low abundance.
It lives in reservoirs and in medium and large slow-flowing rivers. It reproduces in spring. The parents make a nest between submerged trunks or other plant debris. They feed on fish, insects, crustaceans and mollusks.
Being a voracious predator can pose a threat to native ichthyofauna.
Distribution
Wels catfish
Silurus glanis
It is a fish that can easily exceed the 2 m in length and more than 100 kg of weight. Longevity is also high, they can live more than twenty years. The body is elongated and compressed laterally in its posterior half. The head is flattened and broad, with very small eyes and a large mouth surrounded by 6 barbels. Very dark body color, brown or black on the dorsal with irregular dark spots on the sides.
The wels catfish is native to eastern Europe and central Asia, but it has been introduced to many other European countries for its fishing interest, as is the case in Catalonia, where it can be found on the river Ebro and in some sections of the Ter and Llobregat.
It lives in deep slow-flowing rivers, lakes and reservoirs. It reproduces in spring, when the males build a nest among the vegetation or plant debris. It has nocturnal or twilight habits, and during the day it rests among the submerged vegetation or logs. When they are young, they feed on invertebrates, but very soon they begin to prey on fish and other vertebrates, which constitute its main food.
The illegal introduction of wels catfish has had a strong impact on some native species due to its great voracity..
Distribution
