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Yellow Catfish Types

Yellow catfish are not a specific species or genus of catfish; the term is often used generally term to denote species of catfish with a yellowish appearance. In all, there are around seven species of catfish which can be considered yellow catfish, and more than half of them are native to Asia.

North America
- There are two types of catfish referred to as yellow catfish in North America: the yellow bullhead and the flathead catfish. The yellow bullhead generally has a yellow to olive green color on its back and a yellowish to white belly. The first section of its Latin name, "Ameiurus," translates as "curtailed" and refers to the notch in the distal end of the fish's caudal fin, and the second section, "natalis," translates as "having large buttocks." They are found in the eastern and central United States from Texas to North Dakota and through the Great Lakes to the East Coast. The flathead catfish are typically pale yellow to brown and received their name from their unusually flat head. They can be found in deep pools, rivers, lakes and reservoirs and are distributed from lower Great Lakes along the Mississippi to the Gulf States.
Asia
- Asia has four species of catfish which are commonly referred to as yellow catfish: Günther's catfish (Horabagrus brachysoma); the yellowhead catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco); Mystus ketelis and Mystus numerus. Horabagrus brachysoma, also known as the sun catfish, inhabits the slow-moving tributaries and backwaters of Kerala in southwestern India. The yellowhead catfish is a nonmigratory, freshwater fish that is distributed across Laos and Vietnam to southeastern Siberia. It lives primarily in river channels and lakes and feeds on insects, molluscs and other fish.
South America
- The Cocosoda catfish (Pseudauchenipterus nodosus) is the only yellow catfish which is native to South America. They generally have a blue gray color, but can appear to have a yellowish glow in the wild. It can be found from estuaries to the lower reaches of rivers from Venezuela to Brazil, including southern Trinidad. It prefers brackish freshwater, with temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees C, and are omnivorous, with a penchant for feeding on detritus.
Europe
- No types of yellow catfish are native to Europe. However, species such as Horabagrus brachysoma and Pelteobagrus fulvidraco have been cultivated in fish farms for commercial purposes.

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