The Checkered Madtom (''Noturus flavater'') is, a small freshwater catfish found in the United States, in the rivers of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

and

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. It is one of 29 species of

madtom Madtoms are freshwater catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the genus ''Noturus'' of the family Ictaluridae. It is the most species-rich family of catfish in North America, native to the central and eastern United States, and adjacent parts of Canad ...

Description

Like many other madtom, the Checkered Madtom has a stout body. The body is yellow and has four obvious saddle-like stripes of black on top. The bottom is white to yellow. The dorsal fin on the back has a black blotch on the top third of the fin. The caudal (tail) fin has a black bar at its base and at the end. The caudal fin is usually straight or slightly rounded. The Checkered Madtom is thought to be the second largest species of madtom commonly 4-7 inches, with the largest being ''

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 ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

The Checkered Madtom is uncommon in the upper White River system in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. Checkered Madtom has a disjunct population in the

Jacks Fork Jacks Fork is one of two rivers in Missouri that are part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways system. Starting in Texas County, Missouri, this spring-fed river flows in a general east to northeasterly direction through the heart of the geolog ...

and

Current River (Missouri) The Current River forms in the southeastern portion of the Ozarks of Missouri and becomes a 7th order stream as it flows southeasterly out of the Ozarks into northeastern Arkansas where it becomes a tributary of the Black River, which is a tribu ...

in Missouri. The fish inhabits the margins of pools and in the backwaters of clear small or medium rivers, usually with a moderate to high gradient. It is often found among leaves and woody debris. The fish is demersal—it stays near the bed of the body of water.

Biology

Daytime habitat use in the Jacks Fork River, Missouri, found Checkered Madtom commonly associated with boulder substrate and an average water depth of 0.67 meters.Banks, S. M., & DiSTEFANO, R. J. (2002). Diurnal Habitat Associations of the Madtoms Noturus albater, N. exilis, N. flavater and N. flavus in Missouri Ozarks Streams. The American midland naturalist, 148(1), 138-145. Checkered Madtom are ready to

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: ...

by April, but may not spawn until July. Males of 3 to 5 years guard the nests. Females most likely leave the nests while males remain to care for the embryos. Checkered madtom embryos resemble the embryos of other madtoms. Larvae 10 to 12 days old begin to have proportions resembling adults.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6415408 Noturus Freshwater fish of the United States Endemic fauna of the United States Fish described in 1969