Flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) is a freshwater species recorded in the United States.
Scientific name: Pylodictis olivaris · Water: Freshwater
Size: up to 155 cm
The flathead catfish is a demersal ictalurid whose adults inhabit pools with logs and other debris in low-gradient to moderate-gradient small to large rivers, and it is also found in lakes and impoundments. Young occur in rocky and sandy runs and riffles, with juveniles feeding on immature aquatic insects in riffle areas while older individuals consume crayfish, clams and fishes. Its range is North America, in the lower Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins from western Pennsylvania to the White-Little Missouri River system in North Dakota and south to Louisiana, and on the Gulf Slope from the Mobile Bay drainage in Georgia and Alabama to Mexico; it has been transplanted elsewhere in the United States. Maximum length is about 155 cm total length, and it can live 25 years, maturing at about 48.3 cm. It is a commercial species, a gamefish and a public aquarium fish. Fishing vulnerability is high at 62 of 100 and resilience low. IUCN lists it as least concern.
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