Ictalurus
Ictalurus is a genus of North American freshwater catfishes. It includes the well-known channel catfish and blue catfish.
The catfish genome database 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 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, 11 species in this genus are recognized:Ictalurus australis Ictalurus balsanus Ictalurus dugesii Ictalurus furcatus Ictalurus lupus Ictalurus meridionalis Ictalurus mexicanus Ictalurus nazas Avila-Treviño, Cardoza-Martínez, Alonzo-Rojo & Pérez-Rodríguez, 2025Ictalurus ochoterenai Ictalurus pricei Ictalurus punctatusFive fossil species also are assigned to this genus:
- †Ictalurus countermani Lundberg & Luckenbill, 2012
- †Ictalurus echinatus Lundberg, 1975
- †Ictalurus lambda Hubbs & Hibbard, 1951 -
- †Ictalurus rhaeas
- †Ictalurus spodius Smith, 1987