Madtoms are freshwater

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

es (

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Siluriformes) of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

''Noturus'' of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Ictaluridae The Ictaluridae, sometimes called ictalurids, are a family of catfish native to North America, where they are an important food source and sometimes fished for sport. The family includes about 51 species, some commonly known as bullheads, madto ...

. It is the most species-rich family of catfish in North America, native to the central and eastern United States, and adjacent parts of Canada. Their fin spines contain a mild venom with a sting comparable to that of a

honey bee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current co ...

. Nearly half the species of madtom catfishes were described in a single comprehensive revision of the group.

Morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines * Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts * Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...

is very conserved in this genus; most of the species look very similar and telling them apart with the usual

meristic Meristics is an area of ichthyology and herpetology which relates to counting quantitative features of fish and Reptile, reptiles, such as the number of fins or scales. A meristic (countable trait) can be used to describe a particular species of fi ...

and

morphometric Morphometrics (from Greek μορϕή ''morphe'', "shape, form", and -μετρία ''metria'', "measurement") or morphometry refers to the quantitative analysis of ''form'', a concept that encompasses size and shape. Morphometric analyses are co ...

characters used to identify species is difficult. The more conspicuously variable attributes of these secretive fishes are features of pigmentation, which also are more difficult to quantify and often vary according to substrate and water quality. These species have small to tiny or fragmented

ranges In the Hebrew Bible and in the Old Testament, the word ranges has two very different meanings. Leviticus In Leviticus 11:35, ranges probably means a cooking furnace for two or more pots, as the Hebrew word here is in the dual number; or perhaps ...

, and aspects of

pigmentation A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compo ...

are important diagnostic characters of each. Over one-quarter of the recognized species diversity in ''Noturus'' remains undescribed. A number of madtom species are narrowly distributed and extremely rare, thus are at great risk of

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

. ''

Noturus trautmani The Scioto madtom (''Noturus trautmani'') was a species of fish in the family Ictaluridae. It is listed as extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which notes that it has likely been entirely or functionally extinct since 1 ...

'' may even be extinct, having been last collected in 1957.

Species

The 29 recognized species in this genus are: * ''

Noturus albater The Ozark madtom (''Noturus albater'') is a freshwater fish endemic to the United States. It is one of 29 species of madtom. Description The Ozark madtom has a stout body and small head. A dark bar can be found at the base of the caudal fin, and ...

'' W. R. Taylor, 1969 (Ozark madtom) * ''

Noturus baileyi The smoky madtom (''Noturus baileyi'') is a species of catfish. Little information exists about the smoky madtom, along with other members of the ''Noturus'' species, due to the high turbidity in which they spawn, preventing observation, as well a ...

'' W. R. Taylor, 1969 (smoky madtom) * ''

Noturus crypticus The chucky madtom (''Noturus crypticus'') is a critically endangered freshwater fish endemic to the U.S. state of Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United ...

'' Burr, Eisenhour & Grady, 2005 (chucky madtom) * ''

Noturus elegans The elegant madtom (''Noturus elegans'') is a fish native to Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky, and is one of twenty-nine species of madtom. It prefers to live in small rivers and gravel-bottomed creeks. The average lifespan of the elegant madtom ...

'' W. R. Taylor, 1969 (elegant madtom) * ''

Noturus eleutherus The mountain madtom (''Noturus eleutherus'') is a North American species of temperate freshwater fish belonging to the Noturus genus of the family Ictaluridae. The species was first described to the United States National Museum The Smithso ...

'' D. S. Jordan, 1877 (mountain madtom) * ''

Noturus exilis ''Noturus exilis'', also called the slender madtom, is a species of the catfish family Ictaluridae. Ictaluridae includes bullheads, madtoms, channel catfish, and blue catfish. ''Noturus exilis'' is found in the central portion of the Mississippi R ...

'' E. W. Nelson, 1876 (slender madtom) * ''

Noturus fasciatus ''Noturus fasciatus'' (saddled madtom) is a rare freshwater fish native to the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was first described as a species separate from ''Noturus crypticus'' in 2005.Burr, M. Eisenhour, D. Grady, J. 2005. Two new species of Not ...

'' Burr, Eisenhour & Grady, 2005 (saddled madtom) * ''

Noturus flavater The Checkered Madtom (''Noturus flavater'') is, a small freshwater catfish found in the United States, in the rivers of Arkansas and Missouri. It is one of 29 species of madtom. Description Like many other madtom, the Checkered Madtom has a st ...

'' W. R. Taylor, 1969 (checkered madtom) * '' Noturus flavipinnis'' W. R. Taylor, 1969 (yellowfin madtom) * ''

Noturus flavus ''Noturus flavus'', the stonecat, is a North American freshwater catfish of the family Ictaluridae. The common name is due to its habit of hiding near or under stones in fast-moving water. Anatomy Stonecats are small, slender, flat-headed catfi ...

Rafinesque Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...

, 1818 (stonecat) * '' Noturus funebris'' C. H. Gilbert & Swain, 1891 (black madtom) * '' Noturus furiosus'' D. S. Jordan &

Meek Meekness is an attribute of human nature and behavior that has been defined as an amalgam of righteousness, inner humility, and patience. Meekness has been contrasted with humility alone insomuch as humility simply refers to an attitude towards o ...

, 1889 (Carolina madtom) * '' Noturus gilberti'' D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1889 (orangefin madtom) * '' Noturus gladiator''

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

& Burr, 2004 (piebald madtom) * '' Noturus gyrinus'' ( Mitchill, 1817) (tadpole madtom) * '' Noturus hildebrandi'' ( R. M. Bailey & W. R. Taylor, 1950) (least madtom) * '' Noturus insignis'' ( J. Richardson, 1836) (margined madtom) * '' Noturus lachneri'' W. R. Taylor, 1969 (Ouachita madtom) * '' Noturus leptacanthus'' D. S. Jordan, 1877 (speckled madtom) * '' Noturus maydeni'' Egge, 2006 (Black River madtom) * '' Noturus miurus'' D. S. Jordan, 1877 (brindled madtom) * '' Noturus munitus'' Suttkus & W. R. Taylor, 1965 (frecklebelly madtom) * '' Noturus nocturnus'' D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1886 (freckled madtom) * '' Noturus phaeus'' W. R. Taylor, 1969 (brown madtom) * '' Noturus placidus'' W. R. Taylor, 1969 (Neosho madtom) * '' Noturus stanauli'' Etnier & R. E. Jenkins, 1980 (pygmy madtom) * '' Noturus stigmosus'' W. R. Taylor, 1969 (northern madtom) * '' Noturus taylori'' N. H. Douglas, 1972 (Caddo madtom) * ''†

'' W. R. Taylor, 1969 (Scioto madtom)

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q3759463 Ictaluridae Freshwater fish of the United States Fish of Canada Fish of the Eastern United States Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque