The European bullhead[1][3] (Cottus gobio) is a freshwater fish that is widely distributed in Europe, mainly in rivers.

It can be distinguished from the fourhorn sculpin by the fact that the dorsal and anal fins terminate close to the tail giving a short caudal peduncle.

[4] The European bullhead, as treated above, is widespread over most of the subcontinent and in the UK, but absent from the southern peninsulae and from Northern Scandinavia.

Some of those have been distinguished already long time ago as separate subspecies or species with their own names, while in practice they have still mostly been treated under the concept of Cottus gobio.

In 2005, Freyhof et al. suggested subdivision of the European Cottus gobio into fourteen distinct species, of which six had been described earlier and eight were newly described and named.