CreatureData

Channel cat

Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818)

Status not recordedbony fish

The channel cat (Ictalurus punctatus) is a species in the family Ictaluridae, order Siluriformes.

No freely licensed photo yet

Quick facts about the channel cat

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the channel cat live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the channel cat as introduced in 29 countries, and flagged as invasive in 5 of them.

  1. Brazilinvasive
  2. Chinainvasive
  3. Italyinvasive
  4. Japaninvasive
  5. Ukraineinvasive
  6. Belarus
  7. Belgium
  8. Bulgaria
  9. Chile
  10. Côte d’Ivoire
  11. Cuba
  12. Cyprus
  13. Czechia
  14. Dominican Republic
  15. Egypt
  16. Estonia
  17. Fiji
  18. Haiti
  19. Indonesia
  20. Lithuania
  21. Moldova
  22. Nigeria
  23. Panama
  24. Portugal
Show 5 more countries
  1. Romania
  2. Russia
  3. Spain
  4. Thailand
  5. United Kingdom

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

Is the channel cat endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the channel cat classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classTeleostei
  4. orderSiluriformes
  5. familyIctaluridae
  6. genusIctalurus
  7. SpeciesIctalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818)

Synonyms Ichthaelurus robustus, Ictalurus anguilla, Ictalurus lacustris punctatus, Ictalurus okeechobeensis, Ictalurus simpsonii, Pimelodus argyrus, Pimelodus caudafurcatus, Pimelodus furcifer, Pimelodus gracilis, Pimelodus graciosus, Pimelodus hammondii, Pimelodus houghi, Pimelodus megalops, Pimelodus nigricans, Pimelodus notatus, Pimelodus olivaceus, Pimelodus vulpes, Silurus argentinus, Silurus borealis, Silurus cerulescens melanurus, Silurus cerulescens var. melanurus, Silurus maculatus, Silurus maculatus erythroptera, Silurus maculatus var. erythroptera, Silurus pallidus, Silurus pallidus leucoptera, Silurus pallidus marginatus, Silurus pallidus var. lateralis, Silurus pallidus var. leucoptera, Silurus pallidus var. marginatus, Silurus punctatus, Synechoglanis beadlei

Other names and names in other languages (47)
  • Channel catfishEnglish
  • Graceful catfishEnglish
  • Silver catfishEnglish
  • Speckled catfishEnglish
  • Spotted catfishEnglish
  • TakkaAlabama
  • Kanalen somBulgarian
  • Peix gat americàCatalan
  • sumeček tečkovanýCzech
  • KanalmalleDanish
  • Getüpfelter GabelwelsGerman
  • Barbú moteadoSpanish
  • KanalisägaEstonian
  • Barbue d'AmériqueFrench
  • שפמנון הערוציםHebrew
  • Pesce gatto punteggiatoItalian
  • アメリカナマズJapanese
  • 찬넬메기Korean
  • Baltoji katžuvėLithuanian
  • Kanāla samsLatvian
  • okyvnwvMuscogee
  • kanaalmeervalDutch
  • Sum kanałowyPolish
  • Bagre-de-canalPortuguese
  • Somn patatRomanian
  • Сом канальныйRussian
  • prickig dvärgmalSwedish
  • Сом канальнийUkrainian
  • 斑真鮰Chinese
  • Plettet dværgmalleDanish
  • MarmorwelsGerman
  • bagre de canalSpanish
  • pilkkupiikkimonniEstonian
  • barbue de rivièreFrench
  • チャネルキャットフィッシュJapanese
  • 찬넬동자개Korean
  • Sumik kanałowyPolish
  • Bagre americanoPortuguese
  • Bagre-americanoPortuguese
  • Peixe-gato-americanoPortuguese
  • Somn de canalRomanian
  • Канальный сомикRussian
  • Ікталур плямистийUkrainian
  • Канальний сом плямистийUkrainian
  • 斑点叉尾鮰Chinese
  • 河內鯰魚Chinese
  • 美洲河鯰Chinese

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the channel cat

Other species in the same genus Ictalurus.

Blue cat

Ictalurus furcatus

IctaluridaeNo free photo yet

CompareChannel cat vs Blue catChannel cat vs Headwater catfishChannel cat vs Yaqui catfishChannel cat vs Panuco catfish

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

Is the channel cat an invasive species?

In some places. The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species flags the channel cat as invasive in 5 countries: Brazil, China, Italy, Japan and Ukraine. It lists it as introduced in 29 in all.

What kind of animal is the channel cat?

The channel cat (Ictalurus punctatus) belongs to the family Ictaluridae in the order Siluriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-13. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Channel cat (Ictalurus punctatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/channel-cat

MLA

“Channel cat (Ictalurus punctatus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/channel-cat.

BibTeX
@misc{channel_cat_2026,
  title = {Channel cat (Ictalurus punctatus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/channel-cat},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-13}
}