Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818)

Ota, Renata Rúbia, Deprá, Gabriel de Carvalho, Graça, Weferson Júnio da & Pavanelli, Carla Simone, 2018, Peixes da planície de inundação do alto rio Paraná e áreas adjacentes: revised, annotated and updated, Neotropical Ichthyology 16 (2), pp. 1-111 : 71

Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818)

Fig. 22

Body elongated; greatest body depth contained 4.4 and caudal peduncle depth 10.0 times in SL; head length 3.7, anal-fin base length 3.6, adipose-fin base length 9.9, and maxillary-barbel length 3.4 in SL; snout length 2.4, horizontal orbital diameter 5.0 and least interorbital width 2.5 in HL. Mouth terminal. Dorsal fin with I,6, pectoral fin with I,8-9, pelvic fin with I,6-7 and anal fin with 29 or 30 rays. Ground color pale brown; hyaline fins with distal margins black.

Maximum standard length. 120.0 mm.

Biological data. Lives in streams, reservoirs, ponds and lakes. Juveniles feed primarily on aquatic insects, whereas adults present feeding habit omnivorous (insects, snails, crawfish, green algae, aquatic plants, seeds and small fish) ( Wellborn, 1988). Presents parental care, which is carried out by males ( Zanatta et al., 2010)

Distribution. Eastern North America, from southern Canada and northern USA to eastern Mexico. Widely introduced elsewhere ( Eschmeyer et al., 2017).

Remarks. Ictalurus punctatus , native of North America, has been captured in the rio São Francisco Verdadeiro, tributary of the left bank of the upper rio Paraná, since 2010 by Companhia Paranaense de Energia (Copel) staff, and in the rio Iguatemi, right bank of the upper rio Paraná, since 2007 by V. F. B. Silva and collaborators. Its occurrence in the region can be associated with fish-farming and escapes from recreational angling ponds.

Figures

Fig. 22. a. Pimelodella avanhandavae, 125.0 mm SL, uncat. b. Pimelodella gracilis, NUP 3118, 120.0 mm SL, Itaipu Reservoir, Foz do Iguaçu, State of Paraná. c. Pimelodella taenioptera, NUP 3991, 130.0 mm SL, Itaipu Reservoir, Santa Teresinha de Itaipu, State of Paraná. d. Rhamdia quelen, 163.2 mm SL, fresh specimen, uncat. e. Ictalurus punctatus, NUP 11203, 180.5 mm SL, rio São Francisco Verdadeiro, tributary of the rio Paraná, Entre Rios do Oeste, State of Paraná.