Channel catfish

Channel catfish
Temporal range:
Secure
Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Division: Teleostei
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Ictaluridae
Genus: Ictalurus
Species:
I. punctatus
Binomial name
Ictalurus punctatus
(Rafinesque, 1818)
Distribution map
Synonyms
  • Silurus punctatus Rafinesque, 1818
  • †Ictalurus decorus Smith, 1961

The channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), known informally as the "channel cat", is a species of catfish native to North America. They are North America's most abundant catfish species, and the official state fish of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Tennessee. The channel catfish is the most fished species of catfish in the United States, with around 8 million anglers angling them per year. The popularity of channel catfish for food has contributed to the rapid expansion of this species' aquaculture in the United States. It has also been widely introduced to Europe, Asia and South America, and many countries consider it an invasive species.

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