Catfish is a popular fish among anglers, and there are many different types of catfish that can be caught in freshwater and saltwater.
While all catfish have a similar appearance, there are quite a few varieties of them to be found in different aquatic habitats around the world.
In this article, we will explore some of the most common types of catfish and their characteristics. We will discuss their physical features, habitat preferences, and other interesting facts about each species.
Different Types of Catfish
Here is a list of different types of catfish:
- Channel Catfish
- Blue Catfish
- Flathead Catfish
- Bullhead Catfish
- Black Bullhead
- Yellow Bullhead
- Brown Bullhead
- Stonecat
- Madtom
- White Catfish
- Walking Catfish
- Glass Catfish
- Bluespotted Sunfish
- Spotted Bullhead
Channel Catfish
Typically found in streams, rivers, and lakes throughout North America. They have a distinctive appearance with a streamlined body, forked tail, and a slightly flattened head.
They feed on a variety of foods including insects, crustaceans, and small fish. Channel catfish are prolific breeders and can lay thousands of eggs at a time. They are a popular sport fish and are considered to have a mild, sweet flavor.
This species is found east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Mexico. It holds the distinction of being the most fished catfish species in the world. If you’ve ever eaten catfish, you’ve probably eaten this sort of fish.
Because of its popularity has spread throughout Europe, Asia, and South America, where it is often considered an invasive species.
Ictalurus punctatus is the scientific name for the Channel Catfish, which refers to its speckled appearance.
These species, like the blue catfish, have highly forked tails; the main difference is that the latter’s tail has a different color.
Channel catfish are often olive-brown or slate in color, with blue or grey tones on the sides. Also, their bellies and undersides are white to silvery white.
As their scientific name suggests, one of the most noticeable characteristics of channel catfish is the presence of many little black dots down the length of their bodies.
Intriguingly, these patches may not always be present in more critical fish species. For example, compared to the blue catfish, the anal fin of this species has 24-29 rays.
Channel Catfish are abundant in lakes, rivers, major streams, and reservoirs with a low range of current velocity.
The popularity of these species in the United States is primarily due to two factors.
First, they are abundant and easily accessible in most rivers and lakes in the United States.
Second, they are an excellent food source. This is also how they are often captured. Nonetheless, constructing baits with grains like wheat or range cubes is a common approach or strategy for capturing them.
Blue Catfish
Large, predatory fish that are native to the Mississippi and Missouri River systems in North America. They have a streamlined body, large head, and a forked tail.
They feed on a variety of foods including other fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. Blue catfish are opportunistic feeders and will consume almost anything they can find.
They have a strong, firm flesh that is often described as having a mild, sweet flavor.
This is the biggest species of catfish in North America, native to Mexico and the southeastern United States. Because of its blue-grey coloring, this fish is very tolerant to brackish water, allowing it to flourish in various rivers and lakes.
This species of catfish is also known as Mississippi White Catfish, high fin blue, and humpback blue, among others. Ictalurus furcatus is the scientific name for the Blue Catfish, where ‘Ictalurus’ is Greek for “fish cat” and ‘fucatus’ is Latin for “forked.”
Together, the scientific name references the blue catfish’s forked tail fin. Most of these species inhabit the tributaries and main waterways of vast river systems.
In the winter, all blue catfish species migrate downstream in quest of warmer waters. In contrast, in the summer, they migrate upstream in search of cooler temperatures.
Blue catfish are endemic to the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri river basins, Mexico, Texas, and northern Guatemala.
They are simple to detect because, unlike Channel Catfish, they lack spots and often have a slate grey back and upper sides with a conspicuous white belly.
Blue catfish often have 30-35 rays on their anal fin and an estimated 20-30 year lifetime.
Flathead Catfish
Found in large rivers and impoundments throughout the central and southeastern United States. They have a flattened head, a wide, blunt snout, and a brown or yellowish body.
They feed mainly on other fish and crustaceans, and they are known for their aggressive feeding habits.
Flathead catfish are solitary creatures and do not form schools. They are considered to have a strong, distinctive flavor that some people find unappealing.
Bullhead Catfish
Smaller catfish species that are commonly found in ponds, lakes, and slow-moving rivers. They have a stocky, round body, a flattened head, and a short, forked tail.
They feed on a variety of foods including insects, crustaceans, and small fish. Bullhead catfish are bottom-dwellers and feed primarily at night.
They are not highly prized for their flavor, but some people enjoy eating them nonetheless.
Black Bullhead
Small, dark-colored catfish species that are commonly found in ponds, lakes, and slow-moving rivers.
They have a rounded body, a short, blunt snout, and a wide, flattened head.
They feed on a variety of foods including insects, crustaceans, and small fish.
Black bullhead are not highly prized for their flavor, but they are often caught and consumed by anglers.
Yellow Bullhead
A yellowish-brown catfish species that are found in slow-moving rivers and ponds.
They have a stocky, round body, a flattened head, and a short, forked tail. They feed on a variety of foods including insects, crustaceans, and small fish.
Yellow bullhead are not highly prized for their flavor, but they are often caught and consumed by anglers.
Brown Bullhead
A brown or dark-colored catfish species that are found in slow-moving rivers and ponds.
They have a stocky, round body, a flattened head, and a short, forked tail. They feed on a variety of foods including insects, crustaceans, and small fish.
Brown bullhead are not highly prized for their flavor, but they are often caught and consumed by anglers.
Stonecat
A small, dark-colored catfish species that is found in clear streams and rivers in North America. They have a slender body, a pointed snout, and a short, rounded tail. They feed primarily on insects and crustaceans and are not highly prized for their flavor.
Madtom
A small, dark-colored catfish species that is found in clear streams and rivers in North America.
They have a slender body, a pointed snout, and a short, rounded tail. They feed primarily on insects and crustaceans and are not highly prized for their flavor.
White Catfish
A large, predatory catfish species that is native to North America. They have a streamlined body, a large head, and a forked tail.
They feed on a variety of foods including other fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. White catfish are opportunistic feeders and will consume almost anything they can find.
They have a firm, white flesh that is often described as having a mild, sweet flavor.
Walking Catfish
A species of catfish that is native to Southeast Asia but has been introduced in several other parts of the world, including the United States.
They are known for their ability to “walk” on land, using their fins to move short distances. They have a gray or brown body and a wide, flattened head.
They feed primarily on insects, crustaceans, and small fish.
Walking catfish are not highly prized for their flavor, but they are sometimes consumed in Southeast Asia.
Glass Catfish
A small, transparent species of catfish that is native to Southeast Asia. They have a slender, cylindrical body and a small, rounded head.
They feed on a variety of foods including insects, crustaceans, and small fish.
Glass catfish are not commonly consumed, but they are sometimes kept as ornamental fish in aquariums.
This must be one of the most intriguing and unique species of catfish. Glass Catfish are so called because their bodies are entirely translucent. This is also why they are popularly known as “ghost catfish” or “phantom catfish.”
Their bodies are translucent, allowing one can view their innards and bones, and their ‘hidden’ tail fin is barely visible to the human eye.
The glass catfish’s ability to hide in the face of fish predators is an extra benefit of their transparency.
The species of glass catfish have large barbels on their heads and a prominent dorsal fin on their backs.
Their whisker-like barbels extend beyond their face and emerge from their nostrils, making them very sensitive to environmental changes.
Intriguingly, most glass catfish are believed to be able to detect electromagnetic waves in their environment, which has attracted a large number of scientists who are currently researching how this exceptional ability of this catfish can be used to aid patients with Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.
Glass catfish inhabit slow-moving rivers and streams and originated in Thailand. Although their transparent bodies are often favorable, they represent a significant hazard to their survival when the water quality is low, and they are mistaken for garbage.
Bluespotted Sunfish
A small, brightly colored species of fish that is found in freshwater streams and rivers in the central United States. They are not related to catfish and do not belong to the catfish family.
They feed primarily on insects and other small invertebrates. They are not commonly consumed, but they are sometimes caught and kept as ornamental fish in aquariums.
Spotted Bullhead – A small, dark-colored catfish species that is found in slow-moving rivers and ponds. They have a stocky, round body, a flattened head, and a short, forked tail.
They feed on a variety of foods including insects, crustaceans, and small fish. Spotted bullhead are not highly prized for their flavor, but they are often caught and consumed by anglers.
Cory Catfish
Cory catfish are widely used in aquariums. The species burrows its nose into river bottoms and vacuums food in the wild.
When raised in captivity, cory catfish consume an omnivorous diet of fish pellets and other things such as worms.
This species of little aquarium catfish reaches a maximum size of 3 inches. Their size makes them a good option for folks with tiny aquariums who like keeping a limited number of fish as pets.
Cory catfish are also often referred to as Corydoras catfish and Cory cats. In addition, widespread freshwater fish species are frequently referred to as “armoured catfish” because their bodies seem to be covered with bone-like substances.
They also have whisker-like barbels on either side of their lips and, if properly cared for and maintained, may live up to 20 years on average.
Cory catfish are famous in most fish retailers and aquarium owners due to their ease of maintenance.
They have a calm, non-aggressive disposition and seem quite meek and timid compared to other catfish species.
They are known to be bottom-dwellers that search for food near the tank’s bottom. These species are also omnivores.
Therefore they strongly choose a combination of plant-based and animal-based.
References
- Wikepedia: Catfish
- The Catfish Book Paperback by Linda Crawford Culberson (Author), Craig Claiborne (Foreword)
- Tucker, Craig C., and Edwin H. Robinson. Channel catfish farming handbook. Springer Science & Business Media, 1990.
