Where does the indigenous native range of Ameiurus catus extend, spanning from north to south?
From the lower Hudson River in New York down to the Pascagoula River in Mississippi, and south into Florida's Peace River drainage.
The native distribution of *Ameiurus catus* is geographically constrained, reflecting an evolutionary history tailored to specific regional conditions within the Eastern United States coastal drainages. The northern boundary of this indigenous range is established at the lower Hudson River drainage in New York State. Moving southward, the range continues down the Atlantic and Gulf Slopes, encompassing drainages such as the Pascagoula River in Mississippi, and extending further south into the Peace River drainage system located in peninsular Florida. This confinement suggests specialization to these specific freshwater and estuarine environments.
