The flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. It is the only species of the genus Pylodictis.

Flathead catfish are typically pale yellow (hence the name "yellow cat") to light brown on the back and sides, and highly mottled with black and/or brown. The belly is usually pale yellow or cream colored. The head is broadly flattened, with a projecting lower jaw.

2023年5月27日 · Here is a great and thorough explanation of the flathead catfish species of game fish that covers their diet, habitat, distribution and more.

Identification: Wide, flat head - more so than native catfishes. Yellow to purple-brown dorsal coloration and pale white to yellow belly. Projecting lower jaw, pale tips on tail fin, short anal fin.

Flathead catfish are a favored freshwater fish among amateur and professional anglers. Let’s cover a favorite native species to North America; this cat is found in less than favorable underwater environments.

The flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. It is the only species of the genus Pylodictis.

Identification: A large, slender-bodied catfish with a broad, flattened head and projecting lower jaw. Color is yellow to brown, with dark brown and black mottling on the back and sides, fading to pale yellow or white on the belly.

The flathead catfish is an introduced species to South Carolina. Its native range is in the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri river basins. Since its introduction into the Santee-Cooper Reservoir, flatheads have become established in nearly every reservoir or river system in the state.

Governor Wes Moore is calling on the federal government to declare the expanding population of invasive fish species—including blue catfish, flathead catfish, and snakehead—to be an ongoing commercial fishery disaster in the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

As the common name suggests, this catfish has a flat head, but other than that, it looks like any other catfish: it has smooth, scaleless skin, whisker-like barbels around the mouth, and long spines on the dorsal (back) fin and one on each side of the pectoral (shoulder) fin.