What kind of fish is the yellowhead catfish? Six major differences between the yellowhead catfish and the catfish

There are many kinds of fish in the world. The ones we are familiar with include crucian carp, common carp, grass carp, bighead carp, squid, octopus, and catfish, but do you know the yellowhead catfish? It is also a fish, and it looks similar to the catfish. So, what kind of fish is the yellowhead catfish? How is it different from the catfish?

1. What kind of fish is the yellowhead catfish?

1. The yellowhead catfish is a fish of the order Siluriformes, family Bagridae, genus Leiocassis, with the scientific name Leiocassis longirostris. In Shanghai it is called “hui laoshu”, in Sichuan it is called “jiangtuan”, in Guizhou it is called “xiyu”, and it also has the name “Shishou”, because when it rests in a stone cave and sticks its head out it looks like the head of a stone, and also because its place of origin is Shishou.

2. The body of the yellowhead catfish is spindle-shaped, with a smooth scaleless surface, a pointed and long snout, a crescent-shaped mouth, 4 pairs of barbels, small eyes, a thick and fleshy adipose fin, a deeply forked caudal fin, a pink body color, a slightly gray back, a white belly, and gray-black fins.

3. The yellowhead catfish is a ferocious carnivorous bottom-dwelling fish. It generally lives on the bottom of water bodies, and when foraging it also moves in the middle and lower layers of the water body. It likes to hunt at night. The young fish feed on larvae such as planktonic types, trichopterans, and dipterans, while adult fish feed entirely on fish, and when food is scarce they eat one another.

4. The yellowhead catfish is the largest fish among fish of the same kind. Common individuals are mostly 2 to 4 kg, and the largest individual can reach 15 kg. Males are larger than females. Its growth rate is relatively fast. Fry hatched in the same year can grow to 400 to 500 grams by the end of that year, and can grow to 1500 grams by the end of the second year. Sexual maturity is reached at 3 years of age, and it spawns from April to June each year.

5. The yellowhead catfish is a scaleless fish and is also one of the four fresh delicacies of the Yangtze River. It is not only high in protein and low in fat, but also rich in various nutrients. Its meat is tender and delicious, and it has no fine bones. Its swim bladder is thick and can be processed into precious fish maw. In feudal society it was even a tribute to the imperial court.

6. In China, the yellowhead catfish is mainly distributed in the river systems of the eastern Liao River, Huai River, Yangtze River, Min River, and Pearl River, with the Yangtze River system being the main one. It is also distributed in China's Heilongjiang River system and the Irtysh River in Xinjiang.

2. How is the yellowhead catfish different from the catfish?

Difference 1, different family and genus: they both belong to the order Siluriformes, but the yellowhead catfish is a fish of the family Bagridae, genus Leiocassis, while the catfish is a fish of the family Siluridae, genus Silurus.

Difference 2, different body surface: neither has fish scales on the body surface, but the yellowhead catfish has a relatively small head, two dorsal fins, and a forked tail; the catfish has a relatively large head, only one dorsal fin, and a round fan-shaped tail, and its body surface is covered with a lot of mucus.

Difference 3, different body color: the body color of the yellowhead catfish is pink, with a slightly gray back, a white belly, and gray-black fins; the body color of the catfish is usually dark brown or gray-black, with faint dark cloud-like patches.

Difference 4, different habits: they both are ferocious carnivorous bottom-dwelling fish, and both are nocturnal feeders, but the minimum age at which the yellowhead catfish reaches sexual maturity is 3 years, and it has a relatively long lifespan, with a maximum age of 22 years; the catfish generally reaches sexual maturity at one year of age, and has a very long lifespan, reaching more than 70 years.

Difference 5, different ways of eating: the yellowhead catfish can be steamed with chopped chili, steamed with black bean sauce, braised with sauce, red-braised, roasted with fermented black beans, and so on. Its meat is tender and delicious, with no fine bones, and its swim bladder is very thick. The catfish can be steamed, stewed plainly, made into soup, red-braised, made into meatballs, and so on, and its meat is tender with few bones.

Difference 6, different effects: the yellowhead catfish is a high-protein, low-fat food, and has effects such as nourishing the liver and replenishing blood, lowering cholesterol, protecting the cardiovascular system, and enhancing immunity; the catfish contains relatively more protein and fat, and has effects such as nourishing yin and enriching blood, supplementing middle qi, stimulating appetite, promoting urination, and promoting lactation.

Summary: the scientific name of the yellowhead catfish is Leiocassis longirostris. It is a fish of the order Siluriformes, family Bagridae, genus Leiocassis, and belongs to the ferocious carnivorous bottom-dwelling fishes, scaleless fishes, and the largest fish among fish of the same kind. It looks similar to the catfish, and the six methods above can distinguish them from each other.