White catfish
| White catfish | ||||||||||||
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White catfish ( Ameiurus catus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ameiurus catus | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The white catfish ( Ameiurus catus ) is a species of fish from the catfish family (Ictaluridae).
features
The adult white catfish are about 20–45 cm long. The upper side of the body is blue-gray in color, but the underside is completely white, which is what gives the fish its name. Occasionally the sides are speckled with light gray. Very large specimens sometimes have a blue-black top and a white-blue bottom.
The dark-skinned forked caudal fin, which is shorter than that of the blue catfish , has about 19-22 rays. The barbels are up to 4 cm long and have a white-yellowish hue. The head of the white catfish is flat and rounded. Its white meat is tasty, which is why the fish is also used as food fish. The fish live to be up to 11 years old, with the oldest recorded white catfish reaching an age of over 18 years. The record weight is 18.88 pounds .
nutrition
White catfish are omnivores , which prefer to feed on invertebrates , small fish, small crustaceans and plants.
Habitat and Distribution
Preferred waters for the fish are warm (approx. 25–30 ° C) ponds and lakes in the subtropical climatic zone , where they live in deeper water zones. Occasionally it can also be found in acidic waters, waters with light currents and in brackish waters . However, it avoids too strong currents, but can survive in very salty waters. The natural ranges are the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic . The white catfish are particularly common in Virginia in numerous rivers such as the Rappahannock River and the Potomac River , in Florida and in the Hudson River near New York . Today the animals can also be found in other areas due to their own range.
Reproduction
The spawning season of the fish is in late May or early July. The females lay the spawn in large pits made of sand or gravel, which were previously dug up by both sexual partners. During the spawning season, the fish need a water temperature of approx. 20 ° C. A population of this species can double in 1.4 to 4.4 years.
Web links
- Virginia.gov ( Memento from January 4, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
- thechannelcat.com (English)
- White catfish on Fishbase.org (English)
- Iowa Fish Atlas (English)
- Ameiurus catus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: NatureServe, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
Individual evidence
- ↑ different coloring for large specimens tolweb.org
- ↑ Record Age Fishing World Records
- ↑ Record weight thechannelcat.com ( Memento from August 25, 2008 in the Internet Archive )