BULLHEAD CATFISH FAMILY Ictaluridae

WHITE CATFISH Ameiurus catus (Linnaeus, 1758)

DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE: Introduced. First releases from 1910 to 1949. Reproducing populations currently inhabit the Connecticut, Merrimack, Blackstone, and Charles rivers. In addition, there are records from a number of ponds: Baddacook Pond, Groton; Whitehall Reservoir and North Pond, Hopkinton; Quaboag Pond, Brookfield; and Mashpee-Wakeby Pond on Cape Cod. However, a number of these sites are documented from fisheries or sport fishing records and the specimens have not been retained or critically examined.

YELLOW BULLHEAD Ameiurus natalis (Lesueur, 1819)

DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE: Introduced. Yellow bullheads were first introduced into Massachusetts waters in 1917. They are currently found in eastern portions of the Millers and Chicopee river drainages, as well as in the Thames, Blackstone, Charles, and Merrimack river systems. They are common to abundant and sometimes outnumber the native brown bullhead.

BROWN BULLHEAD Ameiurus nebulosus (Lesueur, 1819)

DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE: Native. Brown bullheads are common to abundant and found in every major drainage but are generally absent from hillstream systems.

CHANNEL CATFISH Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818)

DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE: Introduced. First released into the Connecticut River between 1920 to 1960. Since that time, their range has expanded to include lower portions of major tributaries to the Connecticut River (e.g., Chicopee-Quaboag rivers, Deerfield River). In 1994 it was found to be quite common in the middle Charles drainage (R. Arini, MDFW pers.com.) It is also found in a number of larger lakes and ponds such as Baddacook Pond, Groton and Quaboag Pond, Brookfield. Like the white catfish, very few channel catfish were sampled during our surveys. Many records are based on fisheries or sportfishing records which have not been retained or critically examined.

TADPOLE MADTOM Noturus gyrinus (Mitchill, 1817)

DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE: Introduced. This species was first found in Massachusetts in 1939 at Howe Pond, Spencer near the headwaters of the Chicopee river system. Since then, madtoms have been found as far downstream as the Red Bridge Dam on the Chicopee mainstem, and in a number of localities in the French River (Thames drainage). Tadpole madtoms are very common in local areas of both drainages but they have never been reported in any other parts of the Connecticut drainage in either Massachusetts or Connecticut, nor have they been found in the Thames drainage below the dam on the French River near the Massachusetts state line. New Hampshire's population is also restricted to a small area, and was considered introduced when first reported (Bailey 1938). Based on these facts we consider tadpole madtom an introduced species in Massachusetts. However, it is also possible that madtoms found in New England are disjunct and relict to populations on southern Atlantic coastal plain (Schmidt 1986).

MARGINED MADTOM Noturus insignis (Richardson, 1836)

DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE: Introduced. Margined madtoms were first found in Massachusetts during a Division of Fisheries and Wildlife survey in late-July of 1988 when two specimens 85 and 95mm SL were collected in Crooked Springs Brook, Chelmsford, a tributary to the Merrimack River. Bailey (1938) considered the margined madtom to be an introduced species when he first found it in the Merrimack system in New Hampshire. Although it is possible that the New Hampshire and Massachusetts populations are disjunct relicts (see Schmidt, 1986) we consider this an introduced species in Massachusetts (see comments under tadpole madtom).