blue catfish

Ictalurus furcatus

Catfish of the Atlantic Ocean

Blue
Tropical
Northern Hemisphere
Regional distribution
Atlantic Ocean
North America
Fusiform
Large
Tropical fish

The blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) is a large species of North American catfish, reaching a length of 65 in (170 cm) and a weight of 143 lb (65 kg). The continent's largest catfish, it can live to 20 years, with a typical fish being between 25–46 in (64–117 cm) and 30–70 lb (14–32 kg). Native distribution is primarily in the Mississippi River and Louisiana drainage systems, including the Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Arkansas Rivers, the Des Moines River in south-central Iowa, the Rio Grande, and south along the Gulf Coast to Belize and Guatemala.

Class: Teleosts
Order: Catfishes
Family: Ictaluridae
Genus: Ictalurus
Maximum length: 165 cm
Body shape: fusiform
Distribution: North America: USA (Mississippi River basin from western Pennsylvania to southern South Dakota and Platte River in southwestern Nebraska, south to Gulf; Gulf Slope from Escambia River drainage (where introduced), Alabama and Florida, to Rio Grande drainage in Texas and New Mexico; and Mexico. Introduced in Atlantic Slope drainages, western states, and Minnesota.
Conservation status: LCLeast Concern

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