Ictalurus is a genus of North American freshwater catfishes. It includes the well-known channel catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus) and blue catfish ( Ictalurus furcatus).
The catfish genome database (cBARBEL) is a database for the genetics of Ictalurus species.
Distribution
Members of this genus are primarily found in the Mississippi River basin & peninsular
Florida, and range south to southern Mexico, where several range-restricted species are known. Some species, such as the
Channel catfish and
blue catfish, have been introduced to parts of North America west of the
Rocky Mountains and east of the Appalachian Mountains, where they are otherwise not native. However, the fossil species
Ictalurus countermani, known from the
Miocene of Maryland, suggests that this genus did naturally inhabit the Atlantic-draining rivers east of the Appalachians during the
Neogene.
Species
Currently, 10 species in this genus are recognized:
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Ictalurus australis (Meek, 1904) (Panuco catfish)
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Ictalurus balsanus (D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1899) (Balsas catfish)
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Ictalurus dugesii (T. H. Bean, 1880) (Lerma catfish)
-
Ictalurus furcatus (Valenciennes, 1840) (blue catfish)
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Ictalurus lupus (Girard, 1858) (headwater catfish)
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Ictalurus meridionalis (Günther, 1864)
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Ictalurus mexicanus (Meek, 1904) (Rio Verde catfish)
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Ictalurus ochoterenai (F. de Buen, 1946) (Chapala catfish)
-
Ictalurus pricei (Rutter, 1896) (Yaqui catfish)
-
Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818) (channel catfish)
Five fossil species also are assigned to this genus:
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† Ictalurus countermani Lundberg & Luckenbill, 2012 (Late Miocene St. Mary's Formation of Maryland, US)
-
extinction Ictalurus echinatus Lundberg, 1975 (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene Valentine Formation of Nebraska, US)
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extinction Ictalurus lambda Hubbs & Hibbard, 1951 - (Pliocene of Nebraska, Kansas, Texas and Florida, US)
-
extinction Ictalurus rhaeas (Cope, 1891) (Priabonian Cypress Hills Formation of Saskatchewan, Canada)
-
extinction Ictalurus spodius Smith, 1987 (Pleistocene of Jalisco, Mexico)
External links
