Flathead catfish

Flathead catfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Ictaluridae
Genus: Pylodictis
Rafinesque, 1819
Species:
P. olivaris
Binomial name
Pylodictis olivaris
(Rafinesque, 1818)
Synonyms
  • Silurus olivaris Rafinesque, 1818

The flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. It is the only species of the genus Pylodictis. Ranging from the lower Great Lakes region to northern Mexico, it has been widely introduced and is an invasive species in some areas. The closest living relative of the flathead catfish is the much smaller widemouth blindcat, Satan eurystomus, a cavefish.[2]

  1. ^ NatureServe (2014). "Pylodictis olivaris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T202701A18234613. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T202701A18234613.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ Langecker, Thomas G.; Longley, Glenn (1993). "Morphological Adaptations of the Texas Blind Catfishes Trogloglanis pattersoni and Satan eurystomus (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae) to Their Underground Environment". Copeia. 1993 (4): 976–986. doi:10.2307/1447075. JSTOR 1447075.