Ictaluridae
Black bullhead ( Ameiurus melas )
The catfish ( Ictaluridae ( Gr. " ichthys " = fish; " ailouros " cat = ) ), also called dwarf catfish, are a family in North America, from southern Canada to Guatemala domestic catfish. They are the largest with 50 species endemic to North America family of freshwater fish. Originally they were just east of the Rocky Mountains before, countries were from the people but also in the western U.S. states and more widespread on other continents. The brown bullhead ( Ameiurus nebulosus ) was introduced in Western, Central and Eastern Europe, the speckled catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus ) in South East England and the black bullhead ( Ameiurus melas ) in central and southern Italy.
Features
Catfish are scaleless and have stretched in the front part almost round in cross-section and back sides increasingly flattening body. The largest species Ictalurus furcatus and Pylodictis olivary can reach a maximum length of 1.6 meters and 60 kg. Species of the genus Noturus contrast, only 6 to 30 inches long. The heads are large and wide. Catfish always carry eight barbels around the mouth, the longest Bartel couple on the upper jaw, one on the rear nostril and two below the lower jaw. Jaw and palatine bones are dentate. An adipose fin is present, small and flag- like or elongated and fringe-like. Back (not with Prietella ) and pectoral fin have a very strong sting ray, which is covered with skin, stands with poison glands connected and can be locked in abducted position. The dorsal fin usually has six soft rays. The anal fin is long. The palatine bone is toothless (not with the extinct genus Astephus ).
From cave waters in Texas and northeastern Mexico Four -blind, non-pigmented species are known ( genera Prietella, Trogloglanis and Satan). Satan eurystomus lives in an artesian source in San Antonio, Texas, at a depth of 380 meters.
Catfish are nocturnal predators that hunt their prey on the water bottom. They eat snails, worms, insects, crustaceans, fish eggs and small fish. They operate brood care. The male or both parents guard the eggs ( depending on the type 45-300 ) that hold together as clumps or cord, and the tadpole larvae.
Outer systematics
Within the order of catfish -like ( Siluriformes ) the catfish on coming up with the East Asian armor head catfish ( Cranoglanididae ) are related and form with them the superfamily Ictaluroidea.
Inside systematics
There are 50 extant species in seven genera, three of which are monotypic.
- Family Ictaluridae ( catfish ) Gill, 1861 Genus Ameiurus Rafinesque, 1820 Ameiurus brunneus Jordan, 1877
- White catfish ( Ameiurus catus) ( Linnaeus, 17589 )
- Black bullhead ( Ameiurus melas ) ( Rafinesque, 1820 )
- Yellow catfish ( Ameiurus natalis ) ( Lesueur, 1819)
- Catfish ( Ameiurus nebulosus ) ( Lesueur, 1819)
- Ameiurus platycephalus ( Girard, 1859)
- Ameiurus serracanthus ( Yerger and Relyea, 1968)
- Ictalurus australis (Meek, 1904)
- Ictalurus balsanus ( Jordan & Snyder, 1899)
- Ictalurus dugesii ( Bean, 1880)
- Blue catfish ( Ictalurus furcatus ) ( Lesueur, 1840)
- Ictalurus lupus ( Girard, 1858)
- Ictalurus mexicanus (Meek, 1904)
- Ictalurus ochoterenai ( de Buen, 1946)
- Ictalurus pricei ( Rutter, 1896)
- Getüpfelter catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus ) ( Rafinesque, 1818)
- Noturus albater
- Noturus baileyi Taylor, 1969
- Noturus crypticus Burr, Eisenhour & Grady, 2005
- Noturus elegans Taylor, 1969
- Noturus Eleutherus Jordan, 1969
- Noturus exilis
- Noturus fasciatus Burr, Eisenhour & Grady 2005
- Noturus flavater
- Noturus flavipinnis Taylor, 1969
- Noturus flavus Rafinesque, 1818
- Noturus funebris
- Noturus furiosus Jordan & Meek, 1889
- Noturus gilberti Jordan & Evermann, 1889
- Noturus gladiator Thomas & Burr, 2004
- Stone catfish ( Noturus Gyrinus ) ( Mitchill, 1818)
- Noturus hildebrandi ( Bailey & Taylor, 1950)
- Noturus insignis ( Richardson, 1836)
- Noturus lachneri (Taylor, 1969)
- Noturus leptacanthus Jordan, 1877
- Noturus maydeni
- Noturus miurus Jordan, 1877
- Noturus munitus Suttkus & Taylor, 1965
- Noturus nocturnus Jordan & Gilbert, 1886
- Noturus phaeus Taylor, 1969
- Noturus placidus (Taylor, 1969)
- Noturus stanauli Etnier & Jenkins, 1980
- Noturus stigmosus Taylor, 1969
- Noturus taylori Douglas, 1972
- Noturus trautmani Taylor, 1969
- Prietella lundbergi Walsh & Gilbert, 1995
- Prietella phreatophila Carranza, 1954
- Flathead Catfish ( Pylodictis olivaris ) ( Rafinesque, 1818)
- Satan eurystomus Hubbs & Bailey, 1947
- Trogloglanis pattersoni Eigenmann, 1919
Phylogeny
The relationship of the individual genera to each other illustrates the following cladogram:
† Astephus
Ictalurus
Trogloglanis
Ameiurus
Noturus
Prietella
Pylodictis
Satan
Phylogeny
Catfish are known by fossil extinct genus Astephus from the Eocene and several extinct species of Ameiurus from the Oligocene and Neogene.
Use
Catfish are bred commercially as trout in ponds. The brown bullhead or catfish ( Ameiurus nebulosus ) and the black bullhead ( Ameiurus melas ) were exposed as a food fish in Europe, Turkey and other countries in Asia and have been there many places established and spread. They are relatively undemanding and resistant to anthropogenic environmental changes. However, in Central Europe, they remain lower than in North America in general and are therefore here fish economically insignificant. In the United States, the fishing cat catfish with your bare hand, the so-called noodling, developed into a sport.