Silurus asotus

The front part of the body is thick and round, the tail is flattened laterally, and the head is wide and flat. The snout is short, wide and round. There are two pairs of nostrils, and the front nostril has a short tube near the tip of the snout. The mouth is large, superior, and the lower jaw is slightly protruding. There is a row of velvety teeth on both jaws. There are three pairs of whiskers in the juvenile fish, and the lower jaw whiskers degenerate into only one pair in the adult fish. The upper jaw whiskers are slightly longer than the head, and the lower jaw whiskers are 1/3 to 1/5 of the length of the upper jaw whiskers. The body is naked and scaleless, and the skin is smooth. The lateral line is straight, extending along the middle of the body side to the base of the tail. The mucous pores are well developed and arranged in rows above the lateral line. The dorsal fin is short and has only 5 soft rays; the anal fin is long and connected to the tail fin at the back; the pectoral

Distributed in Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Russia. In my country, it is distributed almost throughout all water systems in the country.

Catfish is a warm-water fish, mainly living in the middle and lower reaches of rivers and reservoirs, lakes, and swamps. It lives in still waters or slow-flowing waters with dense aquatic plants.

Catfish is commonly known as pond catfish, also called catfish, belonging to the genus Siluridae and the family Siluridae. It is a ferocious carnivorous fish. It has strong adaptability, lives on the bottom, swims slowly, tolerates low oxygen, and can survive below 1 mg/L. During the day, it rarely moves in the grass or in the caves between rocks, and comes out to forage at dusk or at night. Under natural conditions, the fry stage can feed on rotifers, water fleas, water earthworms and other fry. In the fingerling stage and adult stage, it feeds on bottom fish, shrimps and aquatic insects. Most of the prey are small fish, such as tiger fish, crucian carp, yellow catfish, wheat ear fish, loach, anchovy, etc., and also eat shrimps and aquatic insects. It also feeds in the winter in the north, but the feeding intensity is lower. Artificial breeding, through domestication, can feed on artificially fed animal bait and artificial compound feed.

Catfish is a warm-water fish, with a survival temperature of 0-35℃, an optimal growth temperature of 23-28℃, and a pH value of 7.0-9.0. It mainly inhabits the middle and lower reaches of rivers, reservoirs, lakes, and swamps. It lives in still waters or slow-flowing waters with aquatic plants. The body color varies with the habitat. Generally, the body is brown-gray, the belly is white, and the fins are light in color.

Catfish is a farmed edible fish species with tender and delicious meat, few bones, appetizing, easy to digest, and rich in nutrients. It is usually cooked in soup or braised, and can also be stewed with Chinese medicine. It is a medium-sized economic fish and a major fishing fish.

In addition to being edible, catfish can also be used for medicinal purposes. Meat: sweet and warm; has the effects of nourishing yin, appetizing, diuretic, and lactation. Indications: edema, long-term illness and physical weakness, less milk in postpartum women, and lactation.