Ameiurus catus
White Catfish
NS
G5
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Siluriformes (Catfishes)
Ictaluridae (North American Catfishes)
Ameiurus
Ameiurus catus (White Catfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
Learn more about our species accounts.
Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal.
Distribution
North America: Rivers of the Atlantic coastal states of USA from Florida to New York.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish. demersal. Found in: streams, estuaries.
Biology
Sluggish, mud-bottomed pools, open channels, and backwaters of small to large rivers; also in lakes and impoundments. Feeds on wide variety of fishes, insects and crustaceans (Ref. 27549).
Max length: 95.0 cm TL; common length: 30.5 cm TL; max weight: 9750 g; max age: 14 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-10-14. Resilience: Medium (tm=3-4; tmax=14; Fec=1,000-4,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; gamefish.
References
Welcomme, R.L. (1988) International introductions of inland aquatic species. FAO Fish. Tech. Pap. 294. 318 p.
Turner, J.L. (1966) Distribution and food habits of ictalurid fishes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. p. 130-143. In J.L. Turner and D.W. Kelly (comp.) Ecological Studies of the Sacramento -San Joaquin Delta. Part II Fishes of the Delta, Fish. Bull. 136.
IGFA (2001) Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
Hardman, M. and L.M. Page (2003) Phylogenetic relationships among bullhead catfishes of the genus Ameiurus (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae). Copeia 2003(1):20-33.
Comments On Ameiurus catus