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Ictaluridae

North American Freshwater Catfishes, Bullhead Catfishes

Larry Page and John G. Lundberg
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taxon links [up-->]Ictalurus [up-->]Ameiurus [up-->]Trogloglanis [up-->]Satan [up-->]Pylodictis [up-->]Noturus [up-->]Prietella extinct icon [down<--]Siluriformes Interpreting the tree
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Containing group: Siluriformes

Introduction

With 48 species, Ictaluridae, the Bullhead Catfish family, is the largest family of freshwater fishes endemic to North America. Bullhead catfishes are easy to recognize from other North American freshwater fishes. They have no scales, 4 pairs of barbels ("whiskers") around the mouth, an adipose fin, stout spines at the dorsal and pectoral fin origins (except some cave species), and pelvic fins on the abdomen. Members of this family are active mainly at night in contrast to the other large groups of North American freshwater fishes–minnows, darters, and suckers–which are primarily active during daylight. Glandular cells in the skin surrounding the fin spines of some species, especially madtoms, contain venom, and a person can be "stung" by a catfish. Reaction to the sting of a madtom varies with the individual but is generally considered equivalent to a bee sting.

The Flathead and Blue Catfishes, the giants of the family at about 132 lb. (60 kg) and over 5 ft. (1.5 m) in length, and several other large species, especially the widely marketed Channel Catfish, are of major commercial, angling, and aquacultural value.

Ictalurids are organized into 7 genera:

Other Names for Ictaluridae

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Ameiurus platycephalus
Location Twitty's Cr., Charlotte Co., VA
Specimen Condition Dead Specimen
Size 76 mm SL
Copyright © R. E. Jenkins
About This Page

Larry Page
Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida, USA

John G. Lundberg
The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Larry Page at and John G. Lundberg at

All Rights Reserved.

Citing this page:

Page, Larry and John G. Lundberg. 2007. Ictaluridae. North American Freshwater Catfishes, Bullhead Catfishes. Version 23 May 2007 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Ictaluridae/15230/2007.05.23 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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