Stonecat
Noturus flavus
Summary 2
Noturus flavus , the stonecat, is a North American freshwater catfish of the family Ictaluridae. Its common name is due to its habit of hiding near or under stones in fast-moving water.
Distribution 3
Global Range: St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Hudson Bay (Red River), and Mississippi River basins from Quebec to Alberta and south to northern Alabama, northern Mississippi, Arkansas, northeastern Oklahoma, and Colorado; Hudson River drainage, New York (Page and Burr 1991; see also McCulloch and Stewart 1998).
Habitat 4
Stonecats live in freshwater environments. They are found in large creeks and small rivers. They occasionally occur in tiny creeks or rivers as large as the lower Mississippi (Etnier and Starnes, 1993). Stonecats occupy gently- to fast-moving riffle areas that have a rocky substrate. Stonecats spend the majority of their time in moderate moving, shallow riffles. They can also be found in deeper water in the 2 to 3 meter range. Stonecats also occur in natural lakes such as Lake Erie. There they prefer rock and gravel bars that are subject to a lot of wave action.
Range depth: .3 to 3 m.
Average depth: .5 m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; freshwater
Aquatic Biomes: benthic ; lakes and ponds; rivers and streams
Other Habitat Features: riparian
Morphology 5
Stonecats are tan to gray dorsally and yellowish to white ventrally. The adipose fin is attached to the back of the stonecat throughout its entire length. The adipose fin is separated from the caudal fin by a notch. The pectoral fin lacks any posterior serrae. Anal fin rays number 15 to 18, pectoral fin rays 9 to 11, and pelvic fin rays 8 to 10. The caudal fin rays number 55 to 67. Stonecats also have a pale margin outlining the caudal fin. They have a premaxillary band of teeth located on the roof of their mouth that has backward extensions. This tooth patch is absent in other species of madtoms.
Range mass: .1 to .5 kg.
Range length: 79 to 137 mm.
Average length: 114 mm.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry ; poisonous
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike; female larger
Physical description 6
Stonecats are tan to gray dorsally and yellowish to white ventrally. The adipose fin is attached to the back of the stonecat throughout its entire length. The adipose fin is separated from the caudal fin by a notch. The pectoral fin lacks any posterior serrae. Anal fin rays number 15 to 18, pectoral fin rays 9 to 11, and pelvic fin rays 8 to 10. The caudal fin rays number 55 to 67. Stonecats also have a pale margin outlining the caudal fin. They have a premaxillary band of teeth located on the roof of their mouth that has backward extensions. This tooth patch is absent in other species of madtoms.
Range mass: .1 to .5 kg.
Range length: 79 to 137 mm.
Average length: 114 mm.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry ; poisonous
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike; female larger
Nature serve conservation status 7
Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure
Sources and Credits
- (c) Noel Burkhead, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/51614465@N08/4751420009
- Adapted by rkkessler from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noturus_flavus
- (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28742970
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31410323
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31410324
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/25065994
- (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28742966
