Bullhead, yellow Ameiurus natalis

Lesueur, 1819

ICTALURIDAE FAMILY


Occurs natively throughout most of the eastern and central U.S.A. (both sides of the Appalachians). In the southern portion of its range, the yellow bullhead extends further west (western Texas) than the brown bullhead (Alabama), and tends to occur in smaller, weedier and shallower waters. Like the other bullheads it has also been introduced outside its native range.

The yellow bullhead ranges in color from olive to brown to almost black dorsally with a yellow or white belly and yellow or brown sides that are never mottled as they often are in the brown bullhead (A. nebulosus). Juveniles usually have dark brown to jet black bodies. It is the only bullhead in which the chin barbels are yellow, buff, or pale pink instead of dark in color. The upper barbels are brown. The tail is rounded which helps to distinguish the yellow bullhead from the brown bullhead and the black bullhead (A. melas), which have truncate or slightly emarginate tails. An even better distinction between the yellow and black bullheads is the spine at the top of the pectoral fins. In the yellow bullhead, as in the brown, this spine has sharp, tooth like serrations along the back edge. In the black bullhead it is either not serrated at all or only very weakly serrated.

The flesh of this small catfish is whiter than that of the brown bullhead, rather cream colored, and of excellent quality

Catfish, channel Ictalurus punctatus

Rafinesque, 1818

ICTALURIDAE FAMILY


The channel catfish is currently distributed through most of the U.S. and parts of southern Canada and northern Mexico. In the U.S. it is most abundant in the central part of the country east to the Appalachians. Its occurrence is sparser and mostly by introduction along the west coast and east of the Appalachians.

Channel catfish prefer clean bottoms of sand or gravel in larger lakes and rivers. They feed mainly on crayfish, fishes, and insects generally at night in swifter moving currents. At spawning time they will enter and ascend small tributaries and streams.

The distinctive channel catfish can often be recognized at a glance by its deeply forked tail and spots on the body (though not all specimens have them). The only other catfish with forked tails occurring in U.S. waters are the blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) and the white catfish (Ameiurus catus), neither of which is ever spotted.

In addition to the spotted specimens, some channel catfish may be entirely black dorsally (males during the spawning season), or dark blue without spots, or even uniformly light blue or silvery exactly like a blue catfish or white catfish. In the latter cases, the species can be identified by the number of rays in the anal fin. White catfish have 19 23 rays, channel catfish have 24 30, and blue catfish have the longest anal fin with 30 36 rays. Internally, the channel catfish has two chambers in the swim bladder and the blue catfish has three.

The channel catfish is very highly regarded for its food and sports value, and is reared commercially and transported throughout the country

Catfish, white Ameiurus catus

Linnaeus, 1758

ICTALURIDAE FAMILY


The white catfish is native to the U.S. Atlantic coastal states from about Palm Beach, Florida, to New York. It has been introduced outside this range southward into Texas and on the west coast.

It is the smallest of the four catfish in the U.S.A. and Mexico that have forked tails. In all other species the tail is either rounded, squarish, or slightly emarginate. Despite the names white catfish and blue catfish, any of the species with a forked tail maybe light silvery blue with a white belly, though in the white catfish there is sometimes a sharper contrast between the bluish back and the white of the belly. It usually has numerous dark spots on the body, except in older individuals and spawning males.

The surest way to identify the white catfish is to count the rays in the anal fin. The white catfish has 19 23 rays and the fin is rounded along the bottom edge. The channel catfish has 24 30 rays and also has a rounded anal fin. The blue catfish has a longer and much straighter edged anal fin with 30 36 rays.

Like all the catfish listed here the white catfish is a delicious food fish. Its flesh is firm and white. It is easily caught on live bait, less nocturnal than some species, and an excellent survivor. It has therefore become a very popular anglers' fish and a popular stock fish in private lakes and ponds

Catfish, flathead Pylodictis olivaris

Rafinesque, 1818

ICTALURIDAE FAMILY


Native to the large rivers of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio basins from southern North Dakota, south into northern Mexico, and east as far as Lake Erie's southeast coast and the western most tip of the Florida panhandle. It occurs broadly over this entire areaand has now been widely introduced outside its native range.

The flathead catfish is very distinctive in appearance and not easily confused with any other species. It is one of the largest catfish in its family, second in size only to the blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus). It has a squarish, rather than forked, tail. Its body is long and its head is wide and distinctly flattened. The eyes accentuate the flatness of the head with their distinctly flat looking, oval shape and the lower jaw further accentuates it by protruding beyond the upper jaw. In general coloration, the flathead catfish is mottled with varying shades of brown and yellow.

This popular food fish has an excellent flavor. It frequents deep sluggish pools with hard bottoms in large rivers. It seems to have a distinct preference for fish, but it is omnivorous and will eat most anything that suits its fancy. Its large size makes it especially popular with anglers

Catfish, blue Ictalurus furcatus

Lesueur, 1840

ICTALURIDAE FAMILY
Also known as bagre azul

This native species of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River basin systems frequents deep areas of large rivers, swift chutes, and pools with swift currents. It is confined to the major rivers of the aforementioned systems, extending north into South Dakota and southern Minnesota, and south into Mexico and northern Guatemala. It has been introduced into Virginia.

This is the largest catfish of the family Ictaluridae, reported to grow to 120 lb (54 kg). The only larger catfish is the wels (Silurus glanis), a member of the Siluridae family, which is found in central and eastern Europe and southern Russia, and may grow to 440 lb (200 kg). The blue catfish, the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), and the white catfish (Ameiurus catus) are the only three catfishes in the U.S.A. that have distinctly forked tails, setting them apart from the bullheads and the flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), which have squarish or slightly emarginate tails. The blue catfish can be distinguished from the channel and white catfish by its noticeably longer anal fin, which has a more even depth and a straighter edge than in the other two species. There are 30 36 rays in the fin, versus 24 30 rays in the channel catfish and 19 23 rays in the white catfish. Internally, the blue catfish can be identified by the fact that it has three chambers in the swim bladder, whereas the channel catfish has two chambers. All three forked tail species may be almost uniformly pale blue or silvery in color, though white catfish may show a more distinct difference between the bluish back and white belly. Channel catfish frequently have spots.

The blue catfish is considered an excellent food and game fish. It prefers clean, swift moving waters where it feeds primarily on fish and crayfish. It is a strong, well toned fish with a fine, delicate flavor

Bullhead, brown Ameiurus nebulosus

Lesueur, 1819

ICTALURIDAE FAMILY


The brown bullhead is native to the eastern U.S.A. (both sides of the Appalachians) and southern Canada, but has been widely introduced elsewhere. It occurs in larger and deeper waters than other bullheads.

The “brown” bullhead may vary from yellow brown or chocolate brown to olive, gray, or bluish black. The sides are often lighter and may be mottled with brown blotches. The belly is yellow or white. Very round brown bullheads are jet black and are often mistakenly believed to be black bullheads (A. melas). Color is an undependable distinguishing characteristic at best and it is important to observe other physical characteristics in order to make a positive identification. The brown bullhead and the yellow bullhead (A. natalis) have sharp, tooth like serrations along the rear edge of the pectoral spine at the top of the pectoral fin. The black bullhead lacks any such serrations or has only extremely weak serrations that are negligible by comparison. In the brown and black bullheads, the tail is squarish (truncate) or slightly emarginate, while in the yellow bullhead it is slightly rounded. The brown bullhead is frequently mottled while the yellow is never mottled and its chin barbels are yellow, buff, or pale pink in color (the upper barbels are light to dark brown). In the brown bullhead all of the barbels are dark brown to nearly black, but in some cases there may be pale yellow or white at the base only of the chin barbels.

It is small at around 5 lb (2.27 kg), but is an extremely popular panfish. The meat is firm, reddish to pink, and of excellent quality and taste. It is also a popular fish stocked in farm ponds