Ictalurus punctatus

spotted cat fiddler blue channel river cat white cat willow cat speckled cat forked tail cat silver cat

By Nathan Wilhelm(Channel Catfish)

Other Names:

www.ittiofauna.org

•4 pairs of barbels

•Scaleless

•Adipose fin

•Dorsally compressed

•Subterminal mouth

•Broad, flat head

Bullhead Catfish Family Characteristics

Distinguishing Ictalurus punctatus From Other

Bullhead Catfish Species

•Black spots easiest way of identification

•Forked caudal fin absent in:

Similar species: Blue, White, Headwater, and Yaqui Catfishes

Bullheads - Flathead Catfish - Madtoms

•Pale blue to olive colored back and sides•Possible size of 127cm (50 in.)

www.lindenhurstil.org

White CatfishBlue Catfish

http://home.earthlink.nethttp://sites.state.pa.us

•No black spots

•Only grows to 62 cm (24.25 in)

•No spots

•Straight anal fin edge

-Larger Channels and Blues Very Similar

•Not reliably differentiated

Headwater and Yaqui Catfishes•Genetically different species

Similar Species

externally

Large channel cats

Blue or Channel?

-Rounded Anal Fin Characteristic of Channel Cat-

-no black spots -may have bluish tint

http://home.earthlink.net

Iowa Distribution of Ictalurus punctatus

•One of the most widely distributed fish

•Inhabits rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, reservoirs

•Prefers deep pools and runs over sand/rock

•Stocking responsible for much of the distribution

www.iowadnr.com

National Distribution of Ictalurus punctatus

http://www.brrc.unr.edu

Omnivorous-Opportunistic Diet

•Large channel catfish feed almost exclusively on fish

•Elm seeds

•Fish

•Wild grapes

•Plant seeds

•Wild fruits

•Insects

•Crayfish

•Snails

•Small clams

•Worms

Reproduction of Ictalurus punctatus

•Spawning May through July

•Females sexual mature at 13 to 16 inches, males slightly earlier

•Involved courtship behavior before mating

•Nests locations: under rock ledges, under undercut banks, tins cans, hollow logs

•Female lays up to 20,000 eggs (typically 8,800 eggs/kg or 4,000 eggs/lbs)

•Male drives female away from nest after spawning

•Male protects eggs

History and Conservation•Native and stocked in Iowa

•One of the most widely distributed fish in Iowa

•All year round fishing season

•Inland lakes: daily bag limit 8, possession limit 30

•Inland streams/federal flood reservoirs: daily bag limit 15, possession limit is 30.

•One of the most popular fish in Iowa

-easy to catch

-great tasting

-large size

•Stocking needed to keep up with angler demand

Recreation

Ictalurus punctatus Economic Importance

•70% of all freshwater aquaculture earnings in U.S.

•In 2001 generated $470 million in revenue in U.S.

• 226,796 kg (500,000 lbs) harvested per year in Iowa

Channel Catfish Farming

http://aquanic.org

References

Agriculture Research Service. Keeping Catfish on Consumers’ Menus. Available at

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/mar03/menu0303.htm

Burr, B. M. and L. M. Page. 1991. A guide to freshwater fishes. Houghton Mifflin

Company. Pp. 61,62.

Garling, D.L. 1993. Fish Culture Specialist Michigan Cooperative Extension Service.

University of Missouri. Making Plans for Commercial Aquaculture in the

North Central Region. Available at

http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/miscpubs/mx0391.htm

Mayhew, J. 1987. Iowa Fish and Fishing. Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des

Moines, Iowa. 323 pp. http://www.iowadnr.com/fish/iafish/chancat.html

Black BullheadFamily IctaluridaeAmeriurus melas

common names: bullhead, common bullhead, yellow-belly bullhead, small bullhead, horned pout, brown catfish,

catfish, stinger, river snapper

http://www.iowadnr.gov

Identification

• Typical Ictaluridae body-vertically depressed body with four pairs of chin barbels, an adipose fin, and no scales

• Characteristics –olive colored on dorsal, changing to a gold color on the sides and a white or yellow on ventral. Caudal tail is notched but not forked, 17-21 anal fin rays

http://www.biology.ucok.edu

Distinguishing black from yellow bullhead

• Barbel color-Black bullhead has gray or black barbels, while the yellow bullhead has white barbels

http://www.iowadnr.gov

Black bullhead distribution

• Distribution-state-wide, very common in many Iowa lakes and streams

www.iowadnr.gov

Habitat

• Very wide variety of habitat. Lives in habitats with silted bottoms, turbid and slow moving waters (e.g. creeks, rivers, ponds, reservoirs, and oxbow lakes)

• Does not require high oxygen concentration

www.enature.com

Diet

• Omnivorous generalist diet– Snails, insects, fish,

clams, plants, fish eggs, crayfish

– Considered a scavenger, bottom feeder

– Eats anything it canhttp://www.pca.state.mn.us/artwork/kids/bullhead.jpg

Reproduction

• Spawning maturity at 1-3 years• 2000-6000 eggs per spawning event in May or

June• Nest is fanned out with caudal tail under logs or

other objects• One of the parents remains to fan water over the

eggs and keep predators away• Eggs hatch in 10 days and parent remains with

hatchlings until they are about 1 inch long

Conservation Status and economic and ecological importance

• Undesirable species, little to no ecological value

• Abundant in Iowa• Good angling fish

– Puts up a good fight – Is not difficult to catch

www.enature.com

References• Enature. 2004. Black Bullhead. Available at www.enature.com. October

2004.• Iowa Department of Natural Resources. 2004. Iowa DNR Black Bullhead.

Available at http://www.iowadnr.com/fish/iafish/blb-card.html. October 2004.

• Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 2004. Black Bullhead. Available at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snapshots/fish/blackbullhead.html. October 2004.

• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. 2004. Black Bullhead. Available at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/artwork/kids/bullhead.jpg. October

2004.• University of Oklahoma, Selman Laboratory. 2002. Black Bullhead image.

Available at http://www.biology.ucok.edu/SelmanLL/SelmanFishPage/images/tra

ders%20images%20for%20page/black%20bullhead.jpg

Flathead Catfish(Pylodictis Olivaris)

By: Brad Froeschle

Identification

• Common Names: Flathead Catfish, Shovelhead, Mudcat, Johnnie cats, and Yellowcat.

• Weight: 20 to 30 pounds (World Record: 123lbs in Kansas)

• Flathead catfish have subterminal mouths.

• The chin barbels are white to yellow, and the anal fin, which has fewer than 16 rays, is short and rounded. Young flathead catfish are nearly black on the back.

Distribution

• Flathead Catfish are found in mainly in the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

• Located throughout all of Iowa’s streams, rivers, and lakes except in the north/northwest.

• Fairly common species of catfish found in Iowa.

• The range extends as far north as North Dakota, as far west as New Mexico, and south to the

Gulf including eastern Mexico.

Habitat

• Flathead catfish prefer the muddy bottoms of rivers, lakes, and streams.

• Log jams, foliage cover, and rocks are preferred in shallow streams.

• At night the flathead catfish heads toward the surface or close to shore to feed.

www. Pa exec./fishline.

Diet

• Fingerlings feed on insect larvae, juveniles feed on small fish and crayfish, while adults like to eat mainly fish.

• Their style of hunting is usually ambushing their prey.

• There have been reports of people seeing flatheads lay with their mouths open while fish swim right in.

Reproduction/Conservation Status

• The flathead is a loner and a traveler, leading a solitary existence except at spawning time. Flatheads spawn in early summer, later than channel catfish.

• The female lays between 4,000 and 10,000 eggs.

• The male guards the egg mass and chasing anything else away including the female.

• Flatheads are abundant in Iowa and the population of the species is steady.

Economic and Ecological Importance

• Fishing for flatheads is pretty big in Iowa.

• Flathead catfish are exploited by commercial fishermen along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

• Approximately 65,000 pounds of flathead catfish valued at over $32,500 are annually harvested from the Mississippi, and the harvest from the Missouri River averages about 3,300 pounds and is worth about $1,700.

Etc.(Pylodictis Olivaris)

• Iowa State record: 81lbs in Ellis Lake, Lucas County. By Joe Baze from Chariton, Iowa.

• Fishing: Use small sunfish after dark.

• People “grab fish” flatheads in mudholes.

• The world record was caught on 12lb test line.

References

• Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Iowa’s threatened and endangered species. http://www.state.ia.us/dnr/organiza/ppd/tespecies.htm. Oct. 2004.

• Iowa Department of Natural Resources. IowaDNR Fish and Fishing.

http://wwww.iowadnr.com/fish/iafish/iafish.html. Oct. 2004.• Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. MinnesotaDNR Fish

and Fishing. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/catfish/biology.html. Oct. 2004.

• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. WisconsinDNR Fish and Fishing. http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/fhp/fish/. Oct. 2004.

Stonecat (Noturus flavus)Chris Gelner

• Identification: slender compressed body, broad flat head, yellow spot behind dorsal fin

• Similar species: freckled madtom, slender madtom

• Distribution: statewide Virtual Aquarium

Stonecat (Noturus flavus)

NatureServe

Stonecat (Noturus flavus)

Stonecat (Noturus flavus)

• Habitat: warm streams with rocks and riffles, rocky sandy lake shores

• Diet: benthic aquatic invertebrates

• Reproduction: mature at 3-4 years, spawns in June-August, fecundity 189-570 eggs

• Conservation: common, native

NY DNR

Ohio DNR

Stonecat (Noturus flavus)

• Economic value: probably none

• Ecological importance: questionable

• Other: lifespan ~9 years, poison glands

MI DNR

Ohio DNR

References: Noturus flavus

Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Iowa DNR Fish and Fishing. Available at http://www.iowadnr.com/fish/iafish/gde-card.html. September 2004.

Mayhew, J. 1987. Iowa Fish and Fishing. Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa.

NatureServe. 2004. Distribution of Noturus flavus. Available at http://www.natureserve.org

Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr. 1991. Freshwater Fishes of North America North of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.