Channel catfish

Channel catfish
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Siluriformes
Family:	Ictaluridae
Genus:	Ictalurus
Species:	I. punctatus
Binomial name
Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818)
Distribution of Ictalurus punctatus
Synonyms
Silurus punctatus Rafinesque, 1818

The channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), also called the channel cat, is a species of catfish. It's the official fish of several US states, which are Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee. In the US, it is the most fished catfish species. ^[2][3]

It has also been introduced in Europe, Asia and South America, and it's legally considered an invasive species in many countries.

1. ↑ NatureServe (2015). "Ictalurus punctatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 4.1 (4.1). International Union for Conservation of Nature.
2. ↑ Keenan E (2011). "Length, Weight, and Yield in Channel Catfish, Lake Diane, MI". arXiv:1102.4623 [q-bio.OT].
3. ↑ Carlander KD (1969). Handbook of freshwater fishery biology. Vol. 1. Ames, Iowa: The Iowa State University Press.