Blue catfish

Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus)
Photo courtesy USFWS
Other Names Channel Cat, Hump-back Blue Description Ictalurus is Greek meaning "fish cat", and furcatus is Latin, meaning "forked", a reference to the species' forked tail fin.

Blue Catfish:
Appearance:
Adults have stout bodies with prominently humped backs in front of the dorsal fin. They resemble channel catfish by having deeply forked tails, but are lack the spots and have a longer, straight-edged anal.

Blue Catfish
Heavy-bodied with a wide head and high spot forward of center near the head called the dorsal hump. Upper jaw projects well beyond the lower. Bluish-gray body above, fading to white on sides and belly.

The blue catfish has a blue back, paler flanks and silver white body. The channel catfish is similar but its body color is overlaid with dark spots and blotches. The flathead catfish is a mottled brown color. The white catfish is silvery white.

During the reproductive season, the male assumes a darker body color, often bluish or blue-black and develops thickened lips and bulging forehead. Such fish are often mistaken by fishermen as another species such as a blue catfish.

See also: Channel catfish, Catfish, Flathead, Flathead catfish, Angler