Flathead Catfish

(Pylodictus olivaris)


Webpage Designed by Noah Parsons, Oct 2007

 

Pylodictis olivaris

(picture courtesy of www.scotcat.com)

Native to: Central U.S., Mississippi River and its tributaries from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.(Government, 2006)

Now found:   (NatureServe, 2007) Map

Why and when they were introduced: These catfish are a favorite game fish with the fisherman all over. For this reason they were introduced into North Carolina in the mid 1960's.

Why they are liked:  They are known for being smart and putting up an excellent fight. They can grow to be very big and therefore make a nice trophy fish.

Why they pose a problem: They do grow to be huge but this requires a big appetite. To gain one pound they must eat 10 pounds of live food. The flathead catfish will not eat plants like other organisms and can't be caught with the normal cheese and stinkbait like other catfish. This shows that they truly go after live food such as shrimp, crayfish, or other fish. They often out compete the fish who are native to the area that the channel catfish now have moved into by their eating habits and also the amount of eggs they lay (1200 per pound they weigh). Also their lifespan is greater than that of the bluegill ( a bream family that they feed upon frequently). The bluegill live up to 11 years while the flathead live from 12 to 14 years. This allows them to lay more eggs and also prey on more fish before they die than the bluegill did which would have died 1-3 years earlier. (Kulikowski, 2002) (Texas, 2007)

What can be done: Normally it could be said that the size requirements to keep could be lowered, however there are not any at this point and the limit per day is 50. Possibly if cash tournaments were held more often for the flathead catfish it would draw more people. Instead of fishing for the biggest fish the tournament would be who could catch the most. All fish would be kept and fried for the dinner following the tournament. This gets the fish out of the water without just wasting them.

 

Background Information

(picture courtesy of http://www.southeasternoutdoors.com/wildlife/fish/images/flathead-catfish.jpg )

Kingdom: Amimalia

Phylum: Craniata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Siluriformes

Family: Ictaluridae

Genus: Pylodictis

Where did its name generate from: Pylodictis is Greek meaning "mud fish", and olivaris is Latin for "olive-colored".  Also it is known as a catfish due to its "whiskers" on the face.

Summary: The flathead catfish is a game fish that feeds on other fish. It spawns in the late spring to early summer. It tends to prefer water temperatures ranging from 22-29 o C that is cloudy and generally deep. The flathead take around 3 years to become sexually mature. Their lifespan is normally between 12-14 years but the oldest known one was 24 years old. Catfish have been known to reach 4 ft. long and up to over 100 pounds. They prey upon live fish, shrimp, and crayfish at the bottom of the lake, river, stream, or pond. They are preyed upon by alligators, water snakes, turtles, larger fish, and humans. They are very protective of their nests, and fan the eggs with their tails to keep it clean. This makes them territorial as they will not let other fish, reptiles, animals, etc... close to their nest. (Natureserve, 2007) (Texas, 2007)

Differences: It can be told apart from other catfish by its flat head (hence the name) and its tail fin is not notched as deeply as channel cats or other like species.

 

Works Cited

Government, (2006, September 21). United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural.

                Retrieved October 29, 2007, from Aquatic Species "Flathead Catfish" Web site:

                http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/flatcatfish.shtml.

 

James, Allan (2006, January 12). Scotcat. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from Pylodictis olivaris Web site:

                http://www.scotcat.com/factsheets/pylodictis_olivaris.html .

 

NatureServe, (2007, June 8). NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from Pylodictis olivaris –

                (Rafinesque, 1818) Web site:

                http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Pylodictis%20olivaris.

 

Kulikowski, Mike (2002, October 1). NC State University News Release. Retrieved October 29, 2007,

from Hungry Flathead Catfish a Danger to Native N.C. Fish Species Web site:

http://www.ncsu.edu/news/press_releases/02_10/253.htm

 

Texas, (2007, April 11). Texas Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from Flathead Catfish

                (Pylodictis olivaris) Web site: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/catfish/