THE CATFISH (Ameiums sp. or Ictalurus sp.). 



Phylum XII, CHORDATA; sub-phylum, 3, VERTEBRATA; class 2, 

 PISCES; sub-class 3, TELEOSTOMI; order 4, TELEOSTEI. 



HABITAT. The catfish family contains about one thousand species, 

 the majority of which are confined to the tropical waters of South 

 America and Africa. Only a few species are marine, all the others in- 

 habiting fresh-water streams, ponds, and lakes. In the United States 

 we have thirty recognized species distributed through the streams that 

 discharge their waters into the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico. There 

 are no native catfishes in the fresh waters of our Pacific coast region. 

 As a whole the family may be said to be adapted to the warmer and 

 more turbid waters of prairie and plain countries. 



Technical Note. Inasmuch as the taking of small catfish or bullheads for 

 class study will certainly come within the provisions of the "Scientific 

 Use" clause of most fish and game laws, specimens might be caught in 

 ponds or creeks with an improvised seine of some sort. Enough 

 material might also be secured with hook and line, as the common 

 bullhead bites readily at any kind of bait. The catfishes are very 

 tenacious of life and may be kept alive a long time in a tub or barrel if 

 given proper care. They should be supplied with food and the water 

 should be changed frequently, or aerated by dipping it up and pouring 

 it back into the vessel. In watering troughs or stock tanks the fish will 

 thrive for months without attention. Specimens preserved in three to 

 four per cent formaldehyde will do very well for a study at least of the 

 external anatomy. A short piece of stiff hollow reed or of straw 

 should be inserted into a slit in the ventral wall of the body so that the 

 preservative fluid may reach the viscera. 



EXTERNAL DETAIL. Note the following relations and parts in your 

 study of the catfish: 



a) The elongated body, only slightly compressed, terminating ante- 

 riorly in a large depressed head and posteriorly in a tail. Be- 



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