Overview
The Yaqui catfish (Ictalurus pricei) is one of eight species of fish known as the fishes of Rio Yaqui, some of which include:
- Yaqui chub (Gila purpurea)
- Yaqui topminnow (Poeciliopsis occidentalis sonoriensis)
- Yaqui beautiful shiner (Cyprinella formosa)
- Yaqui sucker (Catostomus bernardini)
- Longfin Dace (Agostia chrysogaster sp.)
- Mexican stoneroller (Campostoma ornatum)
- Roundtail chub (Gila robusta)
The Yaqui catfish was described to occur from the San Bernardino Creek just south of the Arizona-Sonora border by C. Girard in 1856 and later in 1896 by C. Rutter. Yaqui catfish are often found in areas of large streams that have medium to slow current.
The Yaqui catfish is a medium to large fish of the family Ictaluridae, which possess the iconic whiskers, or barbels, near their mouths. There are approximately 40 species of catfish in North America, and the Yaqui catfish is the only native catfish found west of the Continental Divide.
Scientific Name
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Habitat
Yaqui catfish inhabit moderate to large streams in areas of medium to slow current with sandy or rocky bottoms, at elevations between 4,000 to 5,000 feet (1,219 to 1,425 meters).
A natural body of running water.
Food
Catfish will feed during the day or night, and tend to feed near the water bottom. Diets can consist of plant and animal material like: insects, snails, crawfish, green algae, aquatic plants and small fish. Catfish detect food with their sense of taste, and the barbels around their mouth, which are specialized sensory organs that are covered in tastebuds.
Behavior
Outside of breeding season, Yaqui catfish live relatively solitary lives in dark shady areas in deeper pools. T. Hafen and others published evidence in 2021 that suggests that this species migrates significantly throughout streams in its range, and reoccupies areas that seasonally go dry.
Life Cycle
Yaqui catfish are cavity spawners, where males will create or utilize holes in banks, hollow logs, rocks and other submerged material to build a nest. Females are attracted to the nests where spawning occurs, and eggs are laid on the bottom of the nest. Males will stay and protect the nest until the young fish, known as fry, leave the nest.
Similar Species
The species is similar to the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) in appearance, except the anal fin base is shorter and the distal margin of the anal fin is broadly rounded with 23 to 25 soft rays. Yaqui catfish and channel catfish often breed resulting in hybridized offspring, creating recovery challenges for this species.
Physical Characteristics
Wild individuals of Yaqui catfish have an average length of 15.7 inches (40 centimeters) and are cylindrically shaped, lacking scales.
Measurements
Length: 15.7 in (40 cm)
On average, Yaqui catfish weigh 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) in the wild, making them one of the medium-sized North American catfish species.
The Yaqui catfish is profusely speckled and exhibits a brownish gray coloration on the back, or dorsally, with lighter coloration beneath, ventrally. The whisker looking appendages known as barbels are black, except for the those located on the chin.
Geography
The Yaqui catfish historically occurred in the Rio Yaqui Drainage in Sonora Mexico, including San Bernardino Creek, Black Draw tributary, in Cochise County, Arizona.
The Rio Yaqui Basin comprises approximately 73,000 kilometers squared, of which only 2% occurs in the United States. The United States portion of the Rio Yaqui drainage receives runoff from the Swisshelm, Chiricahua, Mule, Pedregosa, Perilla and Peloncillo mountains.
Currently, the Yaqui catfish is found only in the Rio Yaqui drainage of Sonora, Mexico. It was extirpated from the United States, and in 1997, the Yaqui catfish was reintroduced to San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge and West Turkey Creek in Cochise County, Arizona. However, these introductions did not produce sustained populations and the Yaqui catfish is again considered extirpated from the United States, as is documented in the 2019 5-Year Review of the species.
Timeline
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