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Tennessee Aquarium (1) Paul A.Scharf (1) Johnny Jensen's Photographic Library (2) Reinhold Wawrzynski (2) Tim Aldridge (1)

Description: Similar to Ameiurus catus which has 18-24 anal fin rays (I. furcatus has 30-36) and a more shallow forked caudal fin. This is treated in North America as a favourite food fish and it is said that its flesh is well flavoured. Habitat: Inhabits deep water of impoundments and main channels and backwaters of medium to large rivers, over mud, sand and gravel. Prefers clear, strongly flowing water. Range includes the Mississippi River basin from western Pennsylvania to South Dakota and Platte River, southwestern Nebraska, south to the Gulf Coast; Gulf Slope from the Escambia River drainage (where introduced), Alabama and Florida, to the Rio Grande drainage, Texas and New Mexico; Atlantic Slope of Mexico (Page and Burr 2011). This species has been introduced widely outside the native range. Aquarium Care: Grows far too large for aquarium keeping. Suited to a public aquaria. Etymology The specific name furcatus: Latin for forked, referring to the forked tail [authorship often credited to Lesueur 1840, whose 1829 description of Pimelodus caudofurcatus (perhaps a senior synonym of I. punctatus) may have been unnecessarily renamed by Valenciennes].

Blue Catfish, Blue Channel Catfish

Pimelodus furcatus, Ictalurus meridionalis

Ictaluridae

North America: Major rivers of the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio basins, south to  Mexico and northern Guatemala. Type locality: Mississippi River near St. Louis.

93.0cm. S.L. (3ft 8ins)

08-23°C (45-73°F)

6.5-8.5.

Aldridge, Tim. pers comm. 2021.
NatureServe. 2013. Ictalurus furcatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.
The Audubon Society. Field guide to North American Fishes, Whales & Dolphins. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 848 p.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.