The Elegant Madtom is found in the upper Green and middle Cumberland river drainages in Kentucky and Tennessee. They live in rocky pools and riffles of small creeks to small rivers. As members of the catfish family, all madtoms have whiskers (barbels) around their mouth with taste buds that aid in finding food. Like all members of the genus Noturus, Elegant Madtoms are smaller catfish reaching a maximum size of three inches.