Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818)

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 597-598

Ictalurus punctatus

Common name. Channel catfish.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other West Asian catfishes by: ● caudal deeply forked / ○ adipose present / ○ juveniles and small adults usually with dark-grey or black spots. Size up to 1000 mm SL, usually < 570 mm SL.

Distribution. Cyprus. Native to North America, Hudson Bay, Great Lakes-St. Lawrence and Mississippi drainages, and rivers in between. Widespread in other parts of North America. Introduced to Europe for aquaculture. Self-sustaining populations recorded in lower Ebro ( Spain), Oglio and Pavia provinces (northern Italy), Arno and Tiber

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https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111677811-026

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(central Italy), lower Kuban and Don drainages ( Russia).

May also occur in other areas.

Habitat. Warm lowland rivers and large streams, ponds,

lakes, and reservoirs. Usually associated with low-flow riv-

erine habitats. Also found in upper estuarine habitats with

salinities up to 15 ‰.

Biology. Lives up to 24 years. First spawns at 4–6 years of

age. Spawning begins in May at about 20–30°C. Nests are

built in sheltered areas by males only or by both sexes.

Males take care of eggs and guard nest. Females spawn only

once a year. Eggs hatch in 5–10 days. Omnivorous, feeding

on algae, plant material, invertebrates, and fish. Usually

nocturnal.

Conservation status. Non-native; introduced for recrea-

tional fisheries.

Further reading. Scott & Crossman 1974 (biology); Jenkins

& Burkhead 1993 (biology); Zogaris et al. 2012 ( Cyprus).

Several Ariid catfishes occur in the Persian Gulf and might be caught in brackish waters. They are superficially a bit similar to Ictalurus but their identification remains challenging. This individual caught in Iran might be Plicofollis dussumieri .