There are no current conservation efforts to protect flathead catfish, as they are not considered vulnerable or threatened in any portion of their geographical range.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
Flathead catfish have no known predators other than members of their own species and humans who fish for them. Although, when they are larvae and younger, smaller fish, they are likely to be prey to other fish, wading birds, such as herons, and other medium-sized predators that forage in rivers and streams.
Known Predators:
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
This is a large-bodied species that can attain sizes of over one meter in length and 56 kg in weight. Flathead catfish are also called mud catfish, because of their yellow to purple-brown dorsal coloration. The belly is pale white to yellow. Not surprisingly, their head is wider and flatter than that of other North American catfishes. The lower jaw protrudes farther out than the upper jaw, with the mouth having a wide oval shape. The caudal fin has rounded to slightly notched posterior margin, and a white tip on the upper lobe (except in large adults), which can be used to distinguish this species from other members of the family Ictaluridae. Flathead catfish have both pectoral and dorsal-fin spines. The anal fin is short and rounded in profile, and contains 14-17 elements. There is no externally discernible physical difference between males and females.
Range mass: 0.5 to 56.7 kg.
Average mass: 20.4 kg.
Range length: 38.1 to 114.3 cm.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Flathead catfish can live up to 28 years, although the typical lifespan is 5 to 22 years, based on pectoral spine and otolith age estimates. Due to the large size of adults, this species is not commonly kept in captivity.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 28 (high) years.
Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 5 to 22 years.
Flathead catfish inhabit rivers, lakes, and reservoirs with slow currents. Younger individuals prefer shallower water. Older and larger flathead catfish stay in deeper waters during the daylight hours (typical depth 3-6 m), moving into shallower water at night. They prefer to remain near or under cover, including fallen trees, logs, brush piles, and river banks. A log that is 5 m long is large enough to provide sufficient cover for one large adult flathead catfish. These catfish are generally found in waters from 21.7 to 30°C.
Range depth: 3 to 6 m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; freshwater
Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams
Flathead catfish are native to rivers and lakes in the lower Great Lakes and Mississippi River basin. They are found in appropriate habitat in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, much of Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, western Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, and as far south as Mexico.
This species has been introduced farther east and west of its native range, to parts of Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Introduced , Native )
Flathead catfish are carnivores that prey on many different types of animals, depending on size. They are known to eat crayfish, gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), insects and larvae, channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), other flatheads (Pylodictis olivaris), green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) and carp. Insect larvae are the major prey type until an individual reaches approximately 100 mm in total length, at which point the diet expands to include crayfish and small fishes. Individuals above 250 mm in length feed almost exclusively on other fishes.
Animal Foods: fish; insects; aquatic crustaceans
Primary Diet: carnivore (Piscivore , Insectivore , Eats non-insect arthropods)
Flathead catfish serve as one of the top predators of other fishes in the areas they inhabit, and thus represent a potentially harmful invasive organism outside of their native range. This species has been observed to host over 25 different parasitic species, including several types of platyhelminth worms, nematodes, spiny-headed worms, leeches, copepods, water lice, and freshwater mussel larvae.
Commensal/Parasitic Species:
Flathead catfish are prized by anglers, and may therefore have positive impacts in terms of ecotourism.
Positive Impacts: ecotourism
There are no known negative economic effects of flathead catfish on humans. The fin spines of smaller specimens are quite sharp, and may injure unwary fishermen.
Negative Impacts: injures humans
Fertilized eggs hatch in 6 to 9 days, depending on temperature, with larvae being from 11 to 14.8 mm in total length. A large, spherical yolk sac is present, and extends from the rear edge of the eye to the pelvic fin buds. The gills, mouth, and digestive system are all functional at this point, although the yolk sac is the primary source of nutrition until it is completely absorbed (at a total length of approximately 17.6 mm). Newly hatched individuals have rudiments of the future spines and rayed elements of the dorsal, pectoral, and caudal fins. All fins will generally attain full development by the time the yolk sac is absorbed. Like other ictalurid species, flathead catfish grow continuously, gradually attaining adult body proportions and coloration patterns. Adults can range from 58 mm to more than 1000 mm in length, depending on age, and there have been reports of individuals of over 1500 mm. They do not normally exceed 1000 mm until they reach 10 years of age.
Development - Life Cycle: indeterminate growth
The captive spawning activity discussed above indicates that tactile, and possibly chemical cues are used in communication between flathead catfish. This species is able to sense its environment using its eyes, mechanosensory lateral line, and the taste buds covering its body, which are concentrated on the barbels. Flathead catfish (like all otophysan fishes) have an improved sense of hearing due to the presence of their Weberian apparatus, which connects the swim bladder (which serves as a resonance chamber) to the inner ear.
Communication Channels: tactile ; chemical
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; vibrations ; chemical
Flathead catfish mating systems have not been observed in the wild, but mating in captivity has been observed and documented. The male moved over and around the female, rubbing her with his belly and, apparently, his barbels. He then stopped swimming, with his tail surrounding the female's head, while making strong, quivering movements. This behavior was repeated periodically until the female was ready to spawn, 2 weeks later. At that time, the female deposited eggs in a depression that had been made in the aquarium gravel, which were then fertilized by the male. Total spawning time was approximately 4 hours, after which the female was removed and the male began ferociously defending the eggs, even from the female that had layed them.
Mating System: monogamous
Age at sexual maturity appears to be regionally dependent, and can range from 3 to 5 years in males and 3 to 7 years in females. Spawning occurs in early to late summer, when the water temperature is 23.8 to 29°C, with eggs hatching 6 to 9 days post-fertilization. Nests are constructed under cover, including logs, stumps, brush piles, and rock outcroppings. The number of eggs produced by a female is positively correlated with her body size, and a single nest can contain up to 100,000 eggs. The eggs are adhesive, and are expelled in masses of 30 to 50 individual eggs.
Breeding interval: Flathead catfish breed once yearly
Breeding season: Spawning occurs in June and July.
Range number of offspring: 100,000 (high) .
Range gestation period: 6 to 9 days.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 3 to 7 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 4 years.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 3 to 5 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (External ); oviparous
Males guard the eggs until they hatch, after which he will continue to protect the newborn fish for several days.
Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Male); pre-independence (Protecting: Male)
The flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. It is the only species of the genus Pylodictis. Ranging from the lower Great Lakes region to northern Mexico, it has been widely introduced and is an invasive species in some areas. The closest living relative of the flathead catfish is the much smaller widemouth blindcat, Satan eurystomus.[2]
The flathead catfish is also known as the yellow cat, mud cat, Johnnie cat, goujon, appaluchion, opelousas,[3][4] pied cat and Mississippi cat.[5] In dialect of the Ozark mountains it may be referred to as a "granny cat."[6]
The flathead catfish is olive colored on its sides and dorsum, with a white to yellow underside. Individuals, particularly young specimens from clearer waters,[6] may be strongly mottled with dark brown to black color. The eyes are small and the lower jaw prominently projects beneath the upper. A premaxillary tooth pad has posterior extensions.[7] The caudal fin is emarginate in structure, and its upper lobe may bear an isolated white margin.[6][7] The fins are otherwise brown, though the body's mottling may extend into the fins. The anal fin has 14 to 17 rays and a round margin.[7]
The flathead catfish grows to a length of 155 cm (61 in)[7] and may weigh up to 55.79 kg (123.0 lb),[8] making it the second-largest North American catfish (after the blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus).[8] More commonly, adult length is about 15–45 inches (38–114 cm).[6] Its maximum recorded lifespan is 28 years.[9] Reproductive maturity is reached between 4 and 5 years, or at approximately 18 inches (46 cm).[6] The world angling record flathead catfish was caught May 19, 1998, from Elk City Reservoir, Kansas, and weighed 55.79 kg (123.0 lb).[8] However, a record from 1982, caught by "other methods", shows that the flathead catfish could be North America's longest species of catfish, after a specimen pulled from the Arkansas River measured 175 cm (69 in.) and weighed 63.45 kg (139 lbs and 14oz.).[10]
The native range of the flathead catfish includes a broad area west of the Appalachian Mountains encompassing large rivers of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio basins. The range extends as far north as Canada, as far west as Texas, and south to the Gulf of Mexico including northeastern Mexico. The flathead catfish cannot live in full-strength seawater (which is about 35 parts per thousand or about 35 grams of salt per liter of water), but it can survive in 10 ppt for a while and thrive in up to about 5 ppt.[11]
The flathead catfish prefers live prey. It is a voracious carnivore and feeds primarily on fishes, insects, annelid worms, and crustaceans. It also feeds on other small catfish and almost anything that moves and makes vibration.[12] They are known to eat crayfish, American gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), insects and larvae, channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), other flatheads, green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), and carp. Insect larvae are the major prey type until an individual reaches approximately 100 mm (3.9 in) in total length, at which point the diet expands to include crayfish and small fishes. Individuals above 250 mm (9.8 in) in length feed almost exclusively on other fish.[13]
Spawning of P. olivaris occurs in late June and early July, and the nests are made in areas with submerged logs and other debris. The males, which also build the nests, fiercely and tirelessly defend and fan the clutch. The size of the clutch varies proportionately to the size of the female; an average of 2,640 eggs per kilogram of fish are laid.
The fry frequent shallow areas with rocky and sandy substrates, where they feed on insects and worms such as annelids and polychaetes. Young flathead catfish are also cannibalistic, which has largely precluded their presence in aquaculture.
Inhabiting deep pools, lakes, and large, slow-moving rivers, the flathead catfish is popular among anglers; its flesh is widely regarded as the tastiest of the catfishes. Its size also makes the flathead catfish an effective subject of public aquaria.
Sport fishing for flathead catfish using either rod and reel, limb lines, or bare hands (noodling) can be an exciting pastime. Anglers target this species in a variety of waterways, including small rivers (barely large enough for a canoe), large rivers (such as the Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and Colorado Rivers), and reservoirs. A common element of flathead catfish location is submerged wood cover such as logs and rootwads which often collect at bends in rivers. A good flathead spot usually also includes relatively deep water compared to the rest of a particular section of river, a moderate amount of current, and access to plentiful baitfish such as river herring, shad, carp, drum, panfish, or suckers. Anglers targeting large flathead catfish usually use stout tackle such as medium-heavy or heavy action rods from 6–10 ft (1.8–3.0 m) in length with large line-capacity reels and line ranging from 20–80 pounds-force (89–356 N) test breaking strength. Generally large live baits are preferred such as river herring, shad, sunfish (such as bluegill), suckers, carp, goldfish, drum, and bullheads ranging from 5–12 in (13–30 cm) in length.
The flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. It is the only species of the genus Pylodictis. Ranging from the lower Great Lakes region to northern Mexico, it has been widely introduced and is an invasive species in some areas. The closest living relative of the flathead catfish is the much smaller widemouth blindcat, Satan eurystomus.
