Pylodictis
| Flathead catfish | |
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Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Ictaluridae |
| Genus: |
Pylodictis Rafinesque, 1819 |
| Species: | P. olivaris |
| Binomial name | |
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Pylodictis olivaris (Rafinesque, 1818) |
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The flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), also called the mudcat, flatty, or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish. It is the only species of the genus Pylodictis. Ranging from the lower Great Lakes region to northern Mexico, they have been widely introduced and are an invasive species in some areas. The closest living relative of the flathead is the widemouth blindcat, Satan eurystomus.
Flatheads grow to a length of 155 cm (61 in) and may weigh up to 56 kg (123 lb), making it the second-largest North American catfish (after the blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus). The average length is about 25-46 in (64-117 cm). Their maximum recorded lifespan is 24 years. Males are mature from 16 cm (6.3 in) and 4 years of age, while females mature from 18 cm (7.1 in) and 5 years of age, but may mature as late as 10 years. The world angling record flathead catfish was caught May 14, 1998, from Elk City Reservoir, Kansas, and weighed 123 lb 9 oz (56.0 kg), however a record from 1982 show's that the flathead catfish would be North Americas longest species of catfish, after a specimen pulled from the Arkansas river that measured 175 cm (69 in.) and weighed 63.45 kg (139 lbs and 14oz.).[1]
Their native range includes a broad area west of the Appalachian Mountains encompassing large rivers of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio basins. The range extends as far north as Canada, as far west as Arizona, and south to the Gulf of Mexico including northeastern Mexico. Flatheads cannot live in full-strength seawater (which is about 35 parts per thousand or about 35 grams of salt per liter of water), but they can survive 10 ppt for a while and thrive up to about 5 ppt.
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Wikipedia