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A sting from the striped eel catfish, Plotosus lineatus, may be fatal. While the vast majority of catfish are harmless to humans, a few species are known to present some risk. Many catfish species have "stings" (actually non-venomous in most cases) embedded behind their fins; thus precautions must be taken when handling them.
There is a misconception that the barbels of channel catfish sting upon contact, however the barbels lack such capabilities and cannot sting. [citation needed] However, these catfish do have spines on their pectoral and dorsal fins which can inject venom and may cause injury if the fish is handled improperly. [14]
It is the most species-rich genus of catfish in North America, [1] native to the central and eastern United States, and adjacent parts of Canada. [2] Their fin spines contain a mild venom with a sting comparable to that of a honey bee. [1] Nearly half the species of madtom catfishes were described in a single comprehensive revision of the group.
They have the ability to inflict painful stings with venomous spines embedded in their fins. One of the largest species is the blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus, specimens of which have been found to weigh over 50 kg (110 lb). The maximum length is 160 cm (5.2 ft) in the blue catfish and the flathead catfish. [5]
Callichthyids are fairly small catfish, and range in size from some tiny Corydoras species that do not exceed 2 cm (0.79 in) to Hoplosternum littorale, which some sources list as growing to a length of up to 24 cm (9.4 in) TL. [3] [14] The mouth is small and ventral with one or two pairs of well-developed barbels. [4]
The brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) is a fish of the family Ictaluridae that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead (Ameiurus melas) and yellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis).
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Specifically, these catfish prefer a woody debris depth of at least 3 metres (9.8 ft) and a diameter of woody debris of at least 3 metres (9.8 ft) to provide cover. Flathead catfish tend to have a home range of less than 2 kilometres (1.2 mi), this means that they are a non-migratory species of fish. [14]