FAMILY AMEIURIDAE 179 



Figure 28. Shovelhead catfish. Pilodictis olivaris, 24 inches long. 



SHOVELHEAD CATFISH (Mud Catfish, Yellow Catfish) 

 Pilodictis olivaris (Rafinesque) 



The shovelhead catfish (Figure 28) is characterized by a slender 

 body, much depressed anteriorly. The head is large, broad, and much 

 depressed, with the lower jaw projecting. The barbels are short. The 

 dorsal spine is weak; the strong pectoral spines are serrated on both 

 edges. The adipose fin is nearly as long and half as high as the anal fin. 

 The anal fin has 12 to 15 rays. The caudal fin is almost rounded, being 

 scarcely emarginate. In color this fish is yellowish and much mottled 

 with brown. 



This catfish is not uncommon in Lake St. Croix and the Minnesota 

 River and in the Mississippi below St. Paul. It does not range north- 

 ward past St. Anthony Falls on the Mississippi or past the St. Croix 

 Falls on the St. Croix. It inhabits large, sluggish rivers and consequently 

 is mostly confined to the larger tributaries of the Mississippi. Wagner 

 ( 1908) reported it as not as numerous as the blue cat in Lake Pepin. 

 Weights over 40 pounds are not uncommon. It is very abundant in 

 the Lower Mississippi Valley and there attains a very large size, some- 

 times reaching a length of 5 feet. Evermann reported a maximum 

 weight of 100 pounds for the species, and Forbes and Richardson (1908) 

 reported weights of 50 to 75 pounds as not uncommon. 



It is frequently caught on setlines and by commercial seiners. Live 

 minnows and crayfishes are the best bait. The flesh is excellent although 

 somewhat coarse in large individuals. Farther south the shovelhead 

 catfish is sometimes found in submerged hollow logs, from which it is 

 often taken by hand. It feeds mostly on aquatic animals and eats small 

 fishes of all kinds. 



GENUS Notimis Rafinesque stonecat 



Stonecats are small, slender, flat-headed catfishes, with the adipose fin 

 keellike and continuous with the dorsal fin except for a shallow notch. 



