While looking for cool creatures in a creek in Lisbon, Ohio this month, I caught a fish that I have never encountered before. Stonecats are small, slender, flat-headed catfish. Stonecats typically reach four to eight inches in length, but can reach 12 inches.
While the dorsal and pectoral spines of most members of this family cause wounds that irritate, the Stonecat has venom glands, particularly on the bases of the pectoral spines, that cause extreme pain similar to that of a wasp sting.
These fish reside in freshwater environments, and are found from large creeks to small rivers. They occasionally are found in tiny creeks, or rivers as large as the Lower Mississippi. Stonecats occupy gently to fast-moving riffle areas with rocky substrates.
The Stonecat is an opportunistic feeder, using its sensitive barbels during the night to search for food. They eat a variety of food items, such as aquatic insect larvae, mollusks, minnows, fish eggs, isopods, amphipods, crayfish, plant material, and worms.
Because Stonecats cannot tolerate heavy siltation or pollution, their presence or absence in a stream is an indicator of water quality. It was neat to come across this fascinating fish while herping.