Home/Species/ Brown Madtom

Noturus phaeus

Taylor, 1969

Brown Madtom

G4Apparently Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →

G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103696

Element CodeAFCKA02190

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassActinopterygii

OrderSiluriformes

FamilyIctaluridae

GenusNoturus

Concept Reference

Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.

Taxonomic Comments

See Grady and LeGrande (1992) for a study of phylogenetic relationships, modes of speciation, and historical biogeography of Noturus madtom catfishes. See Lundberg (1992) for a synthesis of recent work on the systematic relationships of ictalurid catfishes.

Conservation Status

Review Date1996-09-19

Change Date1996-09-19

Range Extent Comments

Mississippi River tributaries in southwestern Kentucky, western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and northwestern Alabama; and disjunctly in southern Arkansas, Louisiana, and southwestern Mississippi; Tennessee River tributaries in western Tennessee and northwestern Alabama; Gulf Slope in Sabine River and Bayou Teche drainages, the latter as a result of stream diversion (Page and Burr 1991, Lee et al. 1980).

Occurrences Comments

This species is represented by a large number of subpopulations and locations.

Threat Impact Comments

Localized threats may exist, but on a range-wide scale no major threats are known.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Usually in permanent springs and small streams with vegetation and moderate to fast water (Lee et al. 1980). Sand-gravel riffles and runs among debris, rocks, and undercut banks of springs, creeks, and small rivers (Page and Burr 1991). In northern Mississippi, woody debris and undercut banks were primary daytime microhabitats, and individuals most often were in areas with complex (varying) flow; none were found in the absence of debris, aquatic vegetation, or undercut banks (Chan and Parsons 2000).

Reproduction

Males and females commonly live to age 3, males to age 4 or older (Chan and Parsons 2000).

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN4

Province	Rank	Native
Louisiana	S2	Yes
Arkansas	S1	Yes
Alabama	S1	Yes
Mississippi	S5	Yes
Kentucky	S1	Yes
Tennessee	S4	Yes

Roadless Areas (1)

Mississippi (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Sandy Creek Rare Ii Area	Homochitto National Forest	2,620

References (18)

Bart, Henry L. (Tulane Museum of Natural History, Tulane University). 2001. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI in February 2000.
Burr, B. M., and M. L. Warren, Jr. 1986a. Distributional atlas of Kentucky fishes. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Scientific and Technical Series No. 4, Frankfort, Kentucky. 398 pp.
Chan, M. D., and G. R. Parsons. 2000. Aspects of brown madtom, Noturus phaeus, life history in northern Mississippi. Copeia 2000:757-762.
Douglas, N. H. 1974. Freshwater fishes of Louisiana. Claitor's Publishing Division, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 443 pp.
Etnier, D. A., and W. C. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. xiv + 681 pp.
Grady, J. M., and W. H. LeGrande. 1992. Phylogenetic relationships, modes of speciation, and historical biogeography of the madtom catfishes, genus Noturus Rafinesque (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae). Pages 747-777 in R.L. Mayden, editor. Systematics, historical ecology, and North American freshwater fishes. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. xxvi + 969 pp.
Lee, D. S., C. R. Gilbert, C. H. Hocutt, R. E. Jenkins, D. E. McAllister, and J. R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina. i-x + 854 pp.
Lundberg, J. G. 1992. The phylogeny of ictalurid catfishes: a synthesis of recent work. Pages 392-420 in R.L. Mayden, editor. Systematics, historical ecology, and North American freshwater fishes. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. xxvi + 969 pp.
Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp.
Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes: North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 432 pp.
Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 2011. Peterson field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. xix + 663 pp.
Page, L. M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, R. L. Mayden, and J. S. Nelson. 2013. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventh edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 34, Bethesda, Maryland.
Page, L. M., K. E. Bemis, T. E. Dowling, H.S. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, K. E. Hartel, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, M. A. Neigbors, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, and H. J. Walker, Jr. 2023. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighth edition. American Fisheries Society (AFS), Special Publication 37, Bethesda, Maryland, 439 pp.
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
Robison, H. W. and T. M. Buchanan. 1988. Fishes of Arkansas. The University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Arkansas. 536 pp.
Ross, S. T., and W. M. Brenneman. 1991. Distribution of freshwater fishes in Mississippi. Freshwater Fisheries Report No. 108. D-J Project Completion Report F-69. Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries and Parks. Jackson, Mississippi. 548 pp.
State Natural Heritage Data Centers. 1996a. Aggregated element occurrence data from all U.S. state natural heritage programs, including the Tennessee Valley Authority, Navajo Nation and the District of Columbia. Science Division, The Nature Conservancy.
Taylor, W.R. 1969. A revision of the catfish genus Noturus (Rafinesque) with an analysis of higher groups in the Ictaluridae. Smithsonian Institution, U.S. National Museum Bulletin 282. 315 pp.