The yellow bullhead is widespread in Missouri. It is the most common bullhead catfish in the Ozarks and Bootheel lowlands. It has white chin barbels, and the edge of its tail fin is straight, not notched.
Bullhead catfishes, as a group, are chubby catfish that rarely exceed 16 inches in length. The upper jaw projects beyond the lower jaw. The tail is not noticeably forked. The adipose fin (on the back, between the dorsal fin and tail) is a free lobe, widely separate from the tail fin.
The yellow bullhead can be distinguished from Missouri’s three other bullheads by the following: The chin barbels are uniformly whitish (often slightly dusky in large adults from Ozark streams, but not grayish or blackish as in the black and brown bullheads); the anal fin rays usually number 24–27 (not fewer than 24); and the rear edge of the tail fin is nearly straight (not slightly notched). Sawlike teeth are present on the back edge of the pectoral spine (teeth can be detected by grasping the spine between the thumb and forefinger and pulling outward).
The back and sides are usually uniformly yellowish brown, often faintly mottled with darker brown in adults from clear, weedy water. The belly is yellowish or white. The fins are dusky, the membranes similar in color to the rays.