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Tadpole Madtom
Noturus gyrinus
About This Fish

The Tadpole Madtom is widespread throughout lowland central and eastern North America from Texas to Saskatchewan and east to Massachusetts, including the Mobile Basin and the lower Tennessee and Cumberland river drainages. They live over soft substrate in slow water of creeks to large 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, Tadpole Madtoms are smaller catfish reaching a maximum size of five inches.

Tadpole Madtom Noturus gyrinus Turkey Creek Sept 2015
Ictaluridae >
Noturus
Alabama (AL), Tennessee (TN), Mississippi (MS), Kentucky (KY)
Lower Tallapoosa – 03150110, Upper Alabama – 03150201, Cahaba – 03150202, Middle Alabama – 03150203, Lower Alabama – 03150204, Upper Tombigbee – 03160101, Town – 03160102, Buttahatchee – 03160103, Tibbee – 03160104, Luxapallila – 03160105, Middle Tombigbee-Lubbub – 03160106, Sipsey – 03160107, Noxubee – 03160108, Upper Black Warrior – 03160112, Lower Black Warrior – 03160113, Middle Tombigbee-Chickasaw – 03160201, Sucarnoochee – 03160202, Lower Tombigbee – 03160203, Mobile Tensaw – 03160204, Mobile Bay – 03160205, Lower Cumberland – 05130205, Bear – 06030006, Lower Tennessee-Beech – 06040001, Kentucky Lake – 06040005, Lower Tennessee – 06040006

Literature

Wright, J.J. 2012. Adaptive significance of venom glands in the tadpole madtom Noturus gyrinus (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae). Journal of Experimental Biology. 215(11):1816-1823. https://jeb.biologists.org/content/jexbio/215/11/1816.full.pdf

Emmett, B., and P.A. Cochran. 2010. The response of a piscivore (Micropterus salmoides) to a venomous prey species (Noturus gyrinus). Journal of Freshwater Ecology. 25(3):475-479. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02705060.2010.9664391

Muzzall, P.M., and B.M. Pracheil. 2007. Parasites of tadpole madtom, Noturus gyrinus (Mitchill, 1817)(Ictaluridae), from Silver Creek, Michigan, USA, with a checklist of the North American parasites of tadpole madtom. Comparative Parasitology. 74(1):154-160. https://bioone.org/journals/comparative-parasitology/volume-74/issue-1/4239.1/Parasites-of-Tadpole-Madtom-span-classgenus-speciesNoturus-gyrinus-span-Mitchill/10.1654/4239.1.full

Klesius, P., J. Lovy, J. Evans, E. Washuta, and C. Arias. 2003. Isolation of Edwardsiella ictaluri from tadpole madtom in a southwestern New Jersey river. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health. 15(4):295-301. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1577/H03-026.1

Wilson, S.K., S.J. Fisher, and D.W. Willis. 1999. Tadpole madtom (Noturus gyrinus) biology in an upper Missouri River backwater. Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science. 78:69-77. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shannon_Fisher3/publication/267967516_TADPOLE_MADTOM_NOTURUS_GYRINUS_BIOLOGY_IN_AN_UPPER_MISSOURI_RIVER_BACKWATER/links/551abee60cf2bb7540774ea9/TADPOLE-MADTOM-NOTURUS-GYRINUS-BIOLOGY-IN-AN-UPPER-MISSOURI-RIVER-BACKWATER.pdf

Whiteside, L.A., and B.M. Burr. 1986. Aspects of the life history of the tadpole madtom, Noturus gyrinus (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae), in southern Illinois. Ohio Journal of Science. 86(4):153-160. https://kb.osu.edu/bitstream/handle/1811/23151/V086N4_153.pdf?sequence=1

Machniak, K., and J.H. Gee. 1975. Adjustment of buoyancy by tadpole madtom, Noturus gyrinus, and black bullhead, Ictalurus melas, in response to a change in water velocity. Journal of the Fisheries Board of Canada. 32(2):303-307. https://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/f75-032

Menzel, B.W., and E.C. Raney. 1973. Hybrid madtom catfish, Noturus gyrinus x Noturus miurus, from Cayuga Lake, New York. American Midland Naturalist. 165-176. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2424276

Holder, D.R., and J.S. Ramsey. 1972. A case of albinism in the tadpole madtom, Noturus gyrinus. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 101(3):566-567. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1577/1548-8659(1972)101%3C566b%3AACOAIT%3E2.0.CO%3B2

Case, B.E. 1970. An ecological study of the tadpole madtom, Noturus gyrinus (Mitchell), with special reference to movements and population fluctuations. Master's Thesis. University of Manitoba. Winnipeg, Canada. https://mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca/bitstream/handle/1993/8636/Case_An_ecological.pdf?sequence=1

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This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, MA-30-15-0420-15.