ICTALURUS CHANNEL-CATS 



181 



to 29 rays, including rudiments, its base from 3 . 4 to 3 . 7 in length of body, 

 the free margin rounded. Pectoral spine about equal in length to dorsal; 

 humeral process one half length of pectoral spine. 



Fig. 51 

 Anal and caudal fins of Ictalurus punctatus. 



This is the most abundant of our true catfishes. It is commonly 

 distributed throughout the state, occurring in 171 of our collections, 

 in all our river basins, and in all our principal classes of situation ex- 

 cept the glacial lakes of northeastern Illinois. The young of this 

 species have, however, a much wider range than the adults, and are 

 frequently abundant in headwater streams and creeks in which full- 

 grown individuals are never taken. 



The channel-cat is about equally common in the three sections of 

 the state, and approximately so in the three classes of our streams. 

 The frequency coefficients for rivers of the first and second classes 

 and for creeks are 1 .02, 1.6, and 1.37 respectively. In lakes and 

 sloughs it is much less abundant, its frequency ratio in 549 collec- 

 tions from such situations being but .39. It has a decided prefer- 

 ence for clear swift waters, but not so general or so strong as to ex- 

 clude it to any appreciable degree from the lower Illinoisan glacia- 

 tion. 



It is found throughout the Mississippi Valley, the Gulf and 

 Great Lake regions, and northward to Ontario and Winnipeg, 

 being especially abundant in the Red River at the latter place. 

 Southward it extends to the Alabama River and the Florida 

 peninsula, Louisiana, Texas, and the rivers of northern Mexico. 



This fish is often known by fishermen as the "fiddler" or "blue 

 Fulton," but anglers on the upper Illinois and the Fox usually refer 

 to it as the "channel-cat." It is seldom taken of more than five 

 pounds weight, although specimens are occasionally seen weighing 

 from fifteen to twenty pounds. It is "a trimmer, more active fish 

 than any of the related species, * * * living in clearer, more 



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