Fishery Science Popularization knowledge-- Yellow River Catfish

English name: Yellow river catfish

Land name: yellow River catfish

Taxonomic status: Siluriformes, Siluridae, Silurus

Morphological features: long body type. With 2 pairs of whiskers, the moustache of the adult fish extends backward beyond the base of the pectoral fin, and the mandibular whisker extends not beyond the posterior edge of the operculum. There are weak serrated protuberances on the leading edge of the pectoral fin. The plough bone tooth band is separated in the middle, which is two crescent tooth bands on the left and right. The eyes are very small. Dorsal fin iMUL3; anal fin iMULT77 color 86; lateral line scale iMUL10: 11. The side of the body is grayish brown, there are grayish brown spots on the abdomen, and each fin is grayish black.

Ecological habits: bottom carnivorous ferocious fish. Prey on demersal fish, shrimp and aquatic insects. The largest individual can reach more than 10kg. Sexual maturity at the age of 3 ~ 4 years. The eggs are big, orange and sticky.

Geographical distribution: distributed in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River, the Ningxia section of the Yellow River is a typical distribution area.

Economic value: Ningxia has established the "Yellow River Catfish National Germplasm Resources Reserve".