Catfish

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"Kaari" redirects here. For other uses, see Catfish (disambiguation) and Kaari (disambiguation).

Catfish
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous

present 1000 Ma

Pre

Pg

Black bullhead

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Superorder: Ostariophysi

Order: Siluriformes
G. Cuvier, 1817

Families[2]

Extant families -
Ailiidae[1]
Akysidae
Amblycipitidae
Amphiliidae
Anchariidae
Ariidae
Aspredinidae
Astroblepidae
Auchenipteridae
Austroglanididae
Bagridae
Callichthyidae
Cetopsidae
Chacidae
Clariidae
Claroteidae
Cranoglanididae
Diplomystidae
Doradidae
Erethistidae
Heptapteridae
Heteropneustidae
Horabagridae [1]
 Ictaluridae
Kryptoglanidae
Lacantuniidae
Loricariidae
Malapteruridae
Mochokidae
Nematogenyiidae
Pangasiidae
Pimelodidae
Plotosidae
Pseudopimelodidae
Schilbeidae
Scoloplacidae
Siluridae
Sisoridae
Trichomycteridae

incertae sedis
Conorhynchos

Extinct family -
Andinichthyidae

Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish.
Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and
behavior from the three largest species, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia, the wels
catfish of Eurasia and the piraba of South America, to detritivores (species that eat dead material on
the bottom), and even to a tiny parasitic species commonly called the candiru, Vandellia cirrhosa.
There are armour-plated types and there are also naked types, neither having scales. Despite their
name, not all catfish have prominent barbel. Members of the Siluriformes order are defined by
features of the skull and swimbladder. Catfish are of considerable commercial importance; many of
the larger species are farmed or fished for food. Many of the smaller species, particularly the
genus Corydoras, are important in the aquarium hobby. Many catfish are nocturnal,[3][4] but others
(many Auchenipteridae) are crepuscular or diurnal (most Loricariidae or Callichthyidae for example).

Contents
[hide]

1Ecology
o 1.1Distribution and habitat
o 1.2As invasive species
 2Physical characteristics
o 2.1External anatomy of catfish
o 2.2Size
o 2.3Internal anatomy
3Communication
o 3.1Sound production and interpretation
4Economic importance
o 4.1Aquaculture
o 4.2Catfish as food
5Dangers to humans
6Taxonomy
o 6.1Timeline
7Catfish fishing records
8References
9External links

Ecology[edit]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
Extant catfish species live inland or in coastal waters of every continent except Antarctica. Catfish
have inhabited all continents at one time or another.[5] Catfish are most diverse in tropical South
America, Asia and Africa with one family native to North America and one family in Europe.[6] More
than half of all catfish species live in the Americas. They are the only ostariophysans that have
entered freshwater habitats in Madagascar, Australia, and New Guinea.[7]
They are found in freshwater environments, though most inhabit shallow, running
water.[7] Representatives of at least eight families are hypogean (live underground) with three
families that are also troglobitic (inhabiting caves).[8][9] One such species is Phreatobius cisternarum,
known to live underground in phreatic habitats.[10] Numerous species from the
families Ariidae and Plotosidae, and a few species from among the Aspredinidae and Bagridae, are
found in salt water.[11][12]
In the United States, catfish species may be known by a variety of slang names, such as "mud cat",
"polliwogs", or "chuckleheads".[13]These nicknames are not standardized, so one area may call a
bullhead catfish by the nickname "chucklehead", while in another state or region, that nickname
refers to the blue catfish.
As invasive species[edit]

Walking catfish is an invasive species in Florida.

Representatives of the genus Ictalurus have been introduced into European waters in the hope of
obtaining a sporting and food resource. However, the European stock of American catfishes has not
achieved the dimensions of these fish in their native waters, and have only increased the ecological
pressure on native European fauna. Walking catfish have also been introduced in the freshwaters of
Florida, with the voracious catfish becoming a major alien pest there. Flathead catfish, Pylodictis
olivaris, is also a North American pest on Atlantic slope drainages.[6]Pterygoplichthys species,
released by aquarium fishkeepers, have also established feralpopulations in many warm waters
around the world.[14][15][16][17][18]

Physical characteristics[edit]
External anatomy of catfish[edit]

The armor plates are evident in Corydoras semiaquilus.

Most catfish are bottom feeders. In general, they are negatively buoyant, which means that they will
usually sink rather than float due to a reduced gas bladder and a heavy, bony head.[7] Catfish have a
variety of body shapes, though most have a cylindrical body with a flattened ventrum to allow for
benthic feeding.[7]
A flattened head allows for digging through the substrate as well as perhaps serving as a hydrofoil.
Some have a mouth that can expand to a large size and contains no incisiform teeth; catfish
generally feed through suction or gulping rather than biting and cutting prey.[7] However, some
families, notably Loricariidae and Astroblepidae, have a suckermouth that allows them to fasten
themselves to objects in fast-moving water. Catfish also have a maxilla reduced to a support
for barbels; this means that they are unable to protrude their mouths as other fish such as carp.[7]
Catfish may have up to four pairs of barbels: nasal, maxillary (on each side of mouth), and two pairs
of chin barbels, even though pairs of barbels may be absent depending on the species. Catfish
barbels always come as pairs. Many larger catfish also have chemoreceptors across their entire
bodies, which means they "taste" anything they touch and "smell" any chemicals in the water. "In
catfish, gustation plays a primary role in the orientation and location of food".[19] Because their
barbels and chemoreception are more important in detecting food, the eyes on catfish are generally
small. Like other ostariophysans, they are characterized by the presence of a Weberian
apparatus.[5] Their well-developed Weberian apparatus and reduced gas bladder allow for
improved hearing as well as sound production.[7]
Catfish do not have scales; their bodies are often naked. In some species, the mucus-
covered skin is used in cutaneous respiration, where the fish breathes through its skin.[7] In some
catfish, the skin is covered in bony plates called scutes; some form of body armor appears in various
ways within the order. In loricarioids and in the Asian genus Sisor, the armor is primarily made up of
one or more rows of free dermal plates. Similar plates are found in large specimens of Lithodoras.
These plates may be supported by vertebralprocesses, as in scoloplacids and in Sisor, but the
processes never fuse to the plates or form any external armor. By contrast, in the subfamily
Doumeinae (family Amphiliidae) and in hoplomyzontines (Aspredinidae), the armor is formed solely
by expanded vertebral processes that form plates. Finally, the lateral armor of doradids, Sisor, and
hoplomyzontines consists of hypertrophied lateral line ossicles with dorsal and ventral lamina.[20]
The channel catfish has four pairs of barbels.

All catfish, except members of Malapteruridae (electric catfish), possess a strong, hollow, bony
leading spine-like ray on their dorsal and pectoral fins. As a defense, these spines may be locked
into place so that they stick outwards, which can inflict severe wounds.[6] In several species catfish
can use these fin rays to deliver a stinging protein if the fish is irritated.[21] This venom is produced
by glandular cells in the epidermal tissue covering the spines.[5] In members of the family Plotosidae,
and of the genus Heteropneustes, this protein is so strong it may hospitalize humans who are
unfortunate enough to receive a sting; in Plotosus lineatus, the stings may result in death.[5]
Juvenile catfish, like most fish, have relatively large heads, eyes and posterior median fins in
comparison to larger, more mature individuals. These juveniles can be readily placed in their
families, particularly those with highly derived fin or body shapes; in some cases identification of the
genus is possible. As far as known for most catfish, features that are often characteristic of species
such as mouth and fin positions, fin shapes, and barbel lengths show little difference between
juveniles and adults. For many species, pigmentation pattern is also similar in juveniles and adults.
Thus, juvenile catfishes generally resemble and develop smoothly into their adult form without
distinct juvenile specializations. Exceptions to this are the ariid catfishes, where the young retain yolk
sacs late into juvenile stages, and many pimelodids, which may have elongated barbels and fin
filaments or coloration patterns.[22]
Sexual dimorphism is reported in about half of all families of catfish.[23] The modification of the anal
fin into an intromittent organ (in internal fertilizers) as well as accessory structures of the
reproductive apparatus (in both internal and external fertilizers) have been described in species
belonging to 11 different families.[24]
Size[edit]

Giant Bagarius yarrelli (Goonch) caught in India. Some Goonch in the Kali river grow large enough to attack
humans and water buffalo.

Catfish have one of the greatest ranges in size within a single order of bony fish.[7] Many catfish have
a maximum length of under 12 cm.[5]Some of the smallest species
of Aspredinidae and Trichomycteridae reach sexual maturity at only 1 centimetre (0.39 in).[6]
The wels catfish, Silurus glanis, and the much smaller related Aristotle's catfish are the only catfish
indigenous to Europe: the former ranging throughout Europe, and the latter restricted
to Greece. Mythology and literature record wels catfish of astounding proportions, yet to be proven
scientifically. The average size of the species is about 1.21.6 m (3.95.2 ft), and fish more than 2
metres (6.6 ft) are rare. However, they are known to exceed 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) in length and 100
kilograms (220 lb) in weight. In July 2009, a catfish weighing 88 kilograms (194 lb) was caught in
the River Ebro, Spain, by an 11-year-old British schoolgirl.[25]
In North America the largest Ictalurus furcatus (Blue catfish) caught in the Missouri River on 20 July
2010, weighed 59 kilograms (130 lb). The largest flathead catfish, Pylodictis olivaris, ever caught
was in Independence, Kansas, weighing 56 kilograms (123 lb).
These records pale in comparison to a giant Mekong catfish caught in northern Thailand on 1 May
2005 and reported to the press almost 2 months later that weighed 293 kilograms (646 lb). This is
the largest giant Mekong catfish caught since Thai officials started keeping records in 1981.[26] This
species is not well studied since it lives in developing countries and it is quite possible it can grow
even larger.[citation needed] Also in Asia, Jeremy Wade caught a 75.5 kilograms
(166.4 lb) Goonch following three fatal attacks on humans in the Kali River on the India-
Nepal border. Wade was of the opinion that the offending fish must have been significantly larger
than this to have taken an 18-year-old boy as well as a water buffalo.
Piraba (Brachyplatystoma filamentosum) can grow exceptionally large and are native to the Amazon
basin. They can occasionally grow to 400 lbs, as evidenced by numerous catches. There are also
reports in the region of deaths from being swallowed by these fish.
Internal anatomy[edit]

Kryptopterus vitreolus (glass catfish) have transparent bodies lacking both scales and pigments. Most of the
internal organs are located near the head.

In many catfish, the humeral process is a bony process extending backward from the pectoral
girdle immediately above the base of the pectoral fin. It lies beneath the skin where its outline may
be determined by dissecting the skin or probing with a needle.[27]
The retina of catfish are composed of single cones and large rods. Many catfish have a tapetum
lucidum which may help enhance photoncapture and increase low-light sensitivity. Double cones,
though present in most teleosts, are absent from catfish.[28]
The anatomical organization of the testis in catfish is variable among the families of catfish, but the
majority of them present fringed testis: Ictaluridae, Claridae, Auchenipteridae, Doradidae,
Pimelodidae, and Pseudopimelodidae.[29] In the testes of some species of Siluriformes, organs and
structures such as a spermatogenic cranial region and a secretory caudal region are observed, in
addition to the presence of seminal vesicles in the caudal region.[30] The total number of fringes and
their length are different in the caudal and cranial portions between species.[29] Fringes of the caudal
region may present tubules, in which the lumen is filled by secretion
and spermatozoa.[29] Spermatocysts are formed from cytoplasmic extensions of Sertoli cells; the
release of spermatozoa is allowed by breaking of the cyst walls.[29]
The occurrence of seminal vesicles, in spite of their interspecific variability in size, gross morphology
and function, has not been related to the mode of fertilization. They are typically paired, multi-
chambered, and connected with the sperm duct, and have been reported to play a glandular and a
storage function. Seminal vesicle secretion may include steroids and steroid glucuronides, with
hormonal and pheromonal functions, but it appears to be primarily constituted of mucoproteins, acid
mucopolysaccharides, and phospholipids.[24]
Fish ovaries may be of two types: gymnovarian or cystovarian. In the first type, the oocytes are
released directly into the coelomic cavity and then eliminated. In the second type, the oocytes are
conveyed to the exterior through the oviduct.[30] Many catfish are cystovarian in type,
including Pseudoplatystoma corruscans, P. fasciatum, Lophiosilurus alexandri, and Loricaria
lentiginosa.[29][30]

Communication[edit]
Sound production and interpretation[edit]
Catfish can produce different types of sounds and also have well-developed auditory reception used
to discriminate between sounds with different pitches and velocities. They are also able to determine
the distance of the sound's origin and from what direction it originated.[31] This is a very important fish
communication mechanism, especially during agonisticand distress behaviors. Catfish are able to
produce a variety of sounds for communication that can be classified into two groups: drumming
sounds and stridulation sounds.[32] The variability in catfish sound signals differs due to a few factors:
the mechanism by which the sound is produced, the function of the resulting sound, and
physiological differences such as size, sex, and age.[33] To create a drumming sound, catfish use an
indirect vibration mechanism using a swimbladder. In these fishes, sonic muscles insert on the
ramus Mulleri, also known as the elastic spring. The sonic muscles pull the elastic spring forward
and extend the swimbladder. When the muscles relax, the tension in the spring quickly returns the
swimbladder to its original position, which produces the sound.[34]
Catfish also have a sound-generating mechanism in their pectoral fins. Many species in the catfish
family possess an enhanced first pectoral fin ray, called the spine, which can be moved by
large abductor and adductor muscles. The base of the catfishes spines has a sequence of ridges,
and the spine normally slides within a groove on the fishs pelvic girdle during routine movement;
but, pressing the ridges on the spine against the pelvic girdle groove creates a series of short
pulses.[31][34] The movement is analogous to a finger moving down the teeth of a comb, and
consequently a series of sharp taps is produced.[33]
Sound-generating mechanisms are often different between genders. In some catfishes, pectoral fins
are longer in males than in females of similar length, and differences in the characteristic of the
sounds produced were also observed.[34] Comparison between families of the same order of catfish
demonstrated family and species-specific patterns of vocalization, according to a study by Maria
Clara Amorim. During courtship behavior in three species of Corydoras catfishes, all males actively
produced stridulation sounds before egg fertilization, and the species songs were different in pulse
number and sound duration.[35]
Sound production in catfish may also be correlated with fighting and alarm calls. According to a
study by Kaatz, sounds for disturbance (e.g. alarm) and agonistic behavior were not significantly
different, which suggests distress sounds can be used to sample variation in agonistic sound
production.[35] However, in a comparison of a few different species of tropical catfish, some fish put
under distress conditions produced a higher intensity of stridulatory sounds than drumming
sounds.[36] Differences in the proportion of drumming versus stridulation sounds depend
on morphological constraints, such as different sizes of drumming muscles and pectoral spines. Due
to these constraints, some fish may not even be able to produce a specific sound. In several
different species of catfish, aggressive sound production occurs during cover site defense or during
threats from other fish. More specifically, in long-whiskered catfishes, drumming sounds are used as
a threatening signal and stridulations are used as a defense signal. Kaatz investigated 83 species
from 14 families of catfish, and determined that catfishes produce more stridulatory sounds in
disturbance situations and more swimbladder sounds in intraspecific conflicts.[36]
Economic importance[edit]
Aquaculture[edit]

Loading U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish.

Main article: Aquaculture of catfish

Catfish are easy to farm in warm climates, leading to inexpensive and safe food at local grocers.
About 60% of U.S. farm-raised catfish are grown within a 65-mile (100-km) radius of Belzoni,
Mississippi.[37] Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) supports a $450 million/yr aquaculture
industry.[6] The largest producers are located in the Southern United States,
including Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas. [38]
Catfish raised in inland tanks or channels are considered safe for the environment, since their waste
and disease should be contained and not spread to the wild.[39]
In Asia, many catfish species are important as food. Several walking catfish (Clariidae) and shark
catfish (Pangasiidae) species are heavily cultured in Africa and Asia. Exports of one particular shark
catfish species from Vietnam, Pangasius bocourti, has met with pressures from the U.S. catfish
industry. In 2003, The United States Congress passed a law preventing the imported fish from being
labeled as catfish.[40] As a result, the Vietnamese exporters of this fish now label their products sold
in the U.S. as "basa fish." Trader Joe's has labeled frozen fillets of Vietnamese Pangasius
hypophthalmus as "striper."[41]
There is a large and growing ornamental fish trade, with hundreds of species of catfish, such
as Corydoras and armored suckermouth catfish (often called plecos), being a popular component of
many aquaria. Other catfish commonly found in the aquarium trade are banjo catfish, talking catfish,
and long-whiskered catfish.
Catfish as food[edit]

Catfish in a restaurant in Wuhan(China)

Catfish have widely been caught and farmed for food for hundreds of years in Africa, Asia, Europe,
and North America. Judgments as to the quality and flavor vary, with some food critics considering
catfish excellent to eat, while others dismiss them as watery and lacking in flavor.[42] Catfish is high
in vitamin D.[43] Farm-raised catfish contains low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and a much higher
proportion of omega-6 fatty acids.[44]
In Central Europe, catfish were often viewed as a delicacy to be enjoyed on feast days and holidays.
Migrants from Europe and Africa to the United States brought along this tradition, and in
the Southern United States, catfish is an extremely popular food.
The most commonly eaten species in the United States are the channel catfish and the blue catfish,
both of which are common in the wild and increasingly widely farmed. Farm-raised catfish became
such a staple of the diet of the United States that on 25 June 1987, President Ronald
Reagan established National Catfish Day to recognize "the value of farm-raised catfish."
Catfish is eaten in a variety of ways. In Europe it is often cooked in similar ways to carp, but in the
United States it is popularly crumbed with cornmeal and fried.[42]

Pecel lele served with sambal, tempeh and lalab vegetables in a humble tent warung in Jakarta, Indonesia

In Indonesia, catfish is usually served fried or grilled in street stalls called warung and eaten with
vegetables and sambal; the dish is called pecel lele or pecak lele. The same dish can also be called
as lele penyet (squashed catfish) if the fish is lightly squashed along with sambal in the stone mortar.
The pecel/pecak version present the fish in separate plate while the stone mortar is solely for sambal
(Lele is the Indonesian word for catfish.)
In Malaysia catfish, called "ikan keli", is fried with spices or grilled and eaten with tamarind and Thai
chillies gravy and also is often eaten with steamed rice.
In Bangladesh and the Indian states of Odisha, West Bengal and Assam catfish (locally known as
Magur) is eaten as a favored delicacy during the monsoons. Catfish, locally known
as thedu or etta in Malayalam, is popular in the Indian state Kerala.
In Hungary catfish is often cooked in paprika sauce (Harcsapapriks) typical of Hungarian cuisine. It
is traditionally served with pasta smothered with curd cheese (trs csusza).
In Myanmar (formally Burma), catfish is usually used in Mohinga, a traditional noodle fish soup
cooked with lemon grass, ginger, garlic, pepper, banana steam, onions, and other local ingredients.
Filipino fried hito (catfish) with vinegar and kalamansi dip sauce

Vietnamese catfish (Pangasius) cannot be legally marketed as catfish in the United States, and so is
referred to as swai or basa[45] Only fish of the family Ictaluridae may be marketed as catfish in the
United States.[46] In the UK, Vietnamese catfish is sold as "Vietnamese river cobbler".[47]
In Nigeria, catfish is often cooked in a variety of stews. It is particularly cooked in a delicacy
popularly known as "Catfish Pepper Soup" which is enjoyed throughout the nation.

Dangers to humans[edit]

A sting from the striped eel catfish, Plotosus lineatus, may be fatal.

While the vast majority of catfish are harmless to humans, a few species are known to present some
risk. Many catfish species have stings (actually non-venomous in most cases) embedded behind
their fins; thus precautions must be taken when handling them.

Taxonomy[edit]
The catfish are a monophyletic group. This is supported by molecular evidence.[48]
Catfish belong to a superorder called the Ostariophysi, which also includes
the Cypriniformes, Characiformes, Gonorynchiformes and Gymnotiformes, a superorder
characterized by the Weberian apparatus. Some place Gymnotiformes as a sub-order of
Siluriformes, however this is not as widely accepted. Currently, the Siluriformes are said to be
the sister group to the Gymnotiformes, though this has been debated due to more recent molecular
evidence.[5] As of 2007 there are about 36 extant catfish families, and about 3,093 extant species
have been described.[49] This makes the catfish order the second or third most
diverse vertebrate order; in fact, 1 out of every 20 vertebrate species is a catfish.[6]
The taxonomy of catfish is quickly changing. In a 2007 and 2008 paper, Horabagrus, Phreatobius,
and Conorhynchos were not classified under any current catfish families.[49] There is disagreement
on the family status of certain groups; for example, Nelson (2006) lists Auchenoglanididae and
Heteropneustidae as separate families, while the All Catfish Species Inventory (ACSI) includes them
under other families. Also, FishBase and the Integrated Taxonomic Information System lists
Parakysidae as a separate family, while this group is included under Akysidae by both Nelson (2006)
and ACSI.[5][50][51][52] Many sources do not list the recently revised family Anchariidae.[53] The
family Horabagridae, including Horabagrus, Pseudeutropius, and Platytropius, is also not shown by
some authors but presented by others as a true group.[48] Thus, the actual number of families differs
between authors. The species count is in constant flux due to taxonomic work as well as description
of new species. On the other hand, our understanding of catfish should increase in the next few
years due to work by the ACSI.[5]
The rate of description of new catfish is at an all-time high. Between 2003 and 2005, over 100
species have been named, a rate three times faster than that of the past century.[54] In June 2005,
researchers named the newest family of catfish, Lacantuniidae, only the third new family of fish
distinguished in the last 70 years (others being the coelacanth in 1938 and the megamouth shark in
1983). The new species in Lacantuniidae, Lacantunia enigmatica, was found in the Lacantun river in
the Mexican state of Chiapas.[55]
According to morphological data, Diplomystidae is usually considered to be the most primitive of
catfish and the sister group to the remaining catfish, grouped in a clade called Siluroidei. Recent
molecular evidence contrasts the prevailing hypothesis, where the suborder Loricarioidei are the
sister group to all catfish, including Diplomystidae (Diplomystoidei) and Siluroidei; though they were
not able to reject the past hypothesis, the new hypothesis is not unsupported. Siluroidei was found to
be monophyletic without Loricarioid families or Diplomystidae with molecular evidence;
morphological evidence is unknown that supports Siluroidei without Loricarioidea.[48]
Below is a list of family relationships by different authors. Lacantuniidae is included in the Sullivan
scheme based on recent evidence that places it sister to Claroteidae.[56]

Nelson, 2006[5] Sullivan et al., 2006[48]

Unresolved Siluroidea Unresolved Doradoidea (sister to

families Siluridae families Aspredinidae)
Cetopsidae Malapterurid Cetopsidae Doradidae
Pseudopimel ae Plotosidae Auchenipteridae
odidae Auchenogla Chacidae "Big Asia"
Heptapterida nididae Siluridae Sisoroidea
e Chacidae Pangasiidae Amblycipitidae
Cranoglanidi Plotosidae Suborder Akysidae
dae Clariidae Loricarioidei Sisoridae
Ictaluridae Heteropneus Trichomycte Erethistidae
Loricarioidea tidae ridae Ailia + Laides (Asian
Amphiliidae Bagroidea Nematogeny schilbeids)
Trichomycte Austroglanid iidae Horabagridae
ridae idae Callichthyid (Horabagrus + Pseudeut
Nematogeny Claroteidae ae ropius + Platytropius)
iidae Ariidae Scoloplacida Bagridae (without Rita)
Callichthyid Schilbeidae e "Big Africa"
ae Pangasiidae Astroblepida Mochokidae
Scoloplacida Bagridae e Malapteruridae
e
Pimelodidae Loricariidae Amphiliidae
Astroblepida Clarioidea Claroteidae
e Clariidae Lacantuniidae
Loricariidae Heteropneus Schilbeidae
Sisoroidea tidae
Amblycipitid Arioidea
ae Ariidae
Akysidae Anchariidae
Sisoridae Pimelodoidea
Erethistidae Pimelodidae
Aspredinidae Pseudopimel
Doradoidea odidae
Mochokidae Heptapterida
 Doradidae e
Auchenipteri Conorhynch
dae os
Ictaluroidea
Ictaluridae
Cranoglanidi
dae

Timeline[edit]

Catfish fishing records[edit]

By information from International Game Fish Association IGFA the most outstanding record:[57]

The biggest flathead catfish caught was by Ken Paulie in the Elk City Reservoir in Kansas. USA
on May 19, 1998 that weighed 55.79 kg (123 lbs. 0 oz.)

References[edit]
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