PlanetCatfish.com - Ictalurus furcatus (Ictaluridae) Cat-eLog

Close-up of head
Close-up of caudal fin
Skull

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Ictalurus furcatus** (Valenciennes, 1840)
Common Names	Blue Channel Catfish Bagre Azul (Mexico), Blå Dværgmalle (Denmark), Fulton Catfish, Great Blue Catfish, High Fin Blue Catfish, Humpback Catfish, North American Blue Catfish, Silver Catfish, White Fulton Catfish
Type Locality	Wabash River, Illinois, U.S.A.
Synonym(s)	Amiurus ponderosus, Pimelodus affinis, 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	1650mm or 65" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Only confused with adult channel cats. In juveniles the blue generally has a darker body with a whitish belly while the channel is silvery with few small dark spots. The channel cat averages 27-30 anal fin rays while the blue has 33-35. Ictalurus furcatus has a head that is wedge shaped, consistent with a blue cat's wedge shaped head is a noticeable dorsal hump in front of the dorsal fin, a channel cats head is more rounded or cigar shaped. Barbels on a blue cat are reduced in relation to I. punctatus. Also in comparison to channel cats which have a rounded anal fin the anterior margin of the anal fin is truncate in I .furcatus.
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	North America: Major rivers of the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio basins, south to Mexico and northern Guatemala. Trade restricted in Germany (Anl.3 BArtSchV). Gulf Coast Drainages, Mississippi, Missouri (click on these areas to find other species found there) Gulf Coast Drainages, Mississippi (click on these areas to find other species found there) Gulf Coast Drainages, Mississippi, Ohio (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2012.
pH	6.6 - 8.4
Temperature	10.0-22.0°C or 50-71.6°F (Show species 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. User data.
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.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Histoire naturelle des poissons v. 15, pp 136.
Registered Keepers	There are 15 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There is no wish to keep this species.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 4 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.5.5.261
Last Update	2025 Jan 02 01:36 (species record created: 2001 Apr 25 00:00)