/ictaluridae/ictalurus/furcatus/1.jpg "Ictalurus furcatus(1) - Click to enlarge")
/ictaluridae/ictalurus/furcatus/2.jpg "Ictalurus furcatus(2) - Click to enlarge")
/ictaluridae/ictalurus/furcatus/3.jpg "Ictalurus furcatus(3) - Click to enlarge")
/ictaluridae/ictalurus/furcatus/4.jpg "Ictalurus furcatus(4) - Click to enlarge")
/ictaluridae/ictalurus/furcatus/5.jpg "Ictalurus furcatus(5) - Click to enlarge")
 Cat-eLog Data Sheet | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ictalurus furcatus (Valenciennes, 1840) |
| Common Name(s) | Blue Channel Catfish, Fulton Catfish, Great Blue Catfish, High Fin Blue Catfish, Humpback Catfish, North American Blue Catfish, Silver Catfish, White Fulton Catfish |
| Type Locality | Wabash R., Illinois, U.S.A. |
| Synonym(s) | Amiurus meridionalis, Ictalurus meridionalis, Pimelodus furcatus |
| Pronunciation | ick tal oo russ - fur kat uss |
| Etymology | Ictalurus: From the Greek ichthys, meaning fish, and ailouros, meaning cat; literally "fish cat" (=catfish). furcatus: meaning forked, a reference to the deeply forked caudal fin. |
| Species Information | |
| Size | 1651mm (65") SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp. |
| Identification | Only confused with adult channel cats. The channel cat averages 27-30 anal fin rays while the blue has 33-35. Even easier, the anal fin of the blue is straight along the lower margin while the channel cat's is distinctly rounded. |
| Sexing | Unknown |
| General Remarks | This is North America's largest native fish. Recent sports fishing records show this fish weighing well over 100 pounds, with a world record as of June 2011 of 143 pounds and 57 inches in length. In recent times, the fish is seriously overfished, records from before the year 1900 range from 200 to 300 pounds. Rafinesque, a noted naturalist, claimed to have seen a specimen at 250 pounds. |
| Habitat Information | |
| Distribution | Native range included the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri river basins. Introduced in California, Washington, and Arizona. Gulf Coast Drainages, Mississippi, Missouri (hover or click on these areas to show maps or find other species found there) Gulf Coast Drainages, Mississippi (hover or click on these areas to show maps or find other species found there) Gulf Coast Drainages, Mississippi, Ohio (hover or click on these areas to show maps or find other species found there) |
| pH | 6.6 - 8.4 |
| Temperature | 10.0-22.0°C or 50-71.6°F (Show others within this range) |
| Other Parameters | Tolerates brackish water, but not as well as the white catfish, Ameiurus catus. Prefers stronger currents than either the channel or flathead catfish. Favours deep swift channels in large rivers. |
| Husbandry Information | |
| Feeding | Mainly fishes, but also frogs and molluscs. |
| Furniture | Not an aquarium fish. |
| Compatibility | Anything which can't be swallowed - given this fishes huge size - that rules out most other freshwater fish. |
| Suggested Tankmates | Large central American cichlids fit the bill both in terms of size and water conditions. |
| Breeding | Similar to the channel catfish. |
| Further Information | |
| References | Hist. Nat. Poiss. v. 15 - pp136 A Field Guide To Freshwater Fishes North America North American Native Fishes for the Home Aquarium American Aquarium Fishes |
| Registered Keepers | (1) arapaima, (2) bapachu, (3) Viktor Jarikov, who also notes: "curious guy; about 5 inches", (4) human001, (5) tbinchrist. Click on a username above to see all that persons registered catfish species. You can also view all "my cats" data for this species.  Add this species to your "my cats" page. |
| Breeding Reports | None. |
| More Resources |
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| Hits | 20274 hits. |
| Last Update | 2011 Jun 22 05:51 (species record created: 2001 Apr 25 00:00) |
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