Under Construction

Noturus exilis Nelson 1876

Slender Madtom

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Containing group: Noturus

Identification

The Slender Madtom has black borders on light yellow fins. Fin borders are blackest in clear streams and may be only dusky in color in turbid water. The body is yellow-brown to gray-black above and light yellow below. There is a large light yellow spot on the nape and a smaller one on the rear of the dorsal fin base. The body is slender, and the mouth is terminal with equal jaws. The rear edge of the pectoral spine has large teeth. The caudal fin edge is straight or slightly rounded. The anal fin has 17-22 rays. To 5 3/4 in. (15 cm) total length.

Range

The Slender Madtom is found in the Green, Cumberland, and Tennessee River drainages in Kentucky, Tennessee, and northern Alabama, and in the upper Mississippi River basin from southern Wisconsin and southern Minnesota to the Ozark and Ouachita Highlands of Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. This species is fairly common but localized.

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Distribution of Noturus exilis. © Larry Page

Habitat

The Slender Madtom inhabits rocky riffles, runs, and flowing pools of clear creeks and small rivers, and is occasionally found along wave-swept shores of large impoundments.

Similar Species

The Margined Madtom, Noturus insignis, is the only other madtom to have black borders on its fins, but differs from the Slender Madtom in that the upper jaw projects beyond lower jaw and there is no light spot on the nape or at the rear of the dorsal fin base.

Other Names for Noturus exilis Nelson 1876

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Noturus exilis
Location Donaldson Creek in Cumberland River Basin, .5 km upstream of KY 164 Bridge, Trigg Co., KY
Specimen Condition Dead Specimen
Identified By M. R. Thomas
Life Cycle Stage Adult
Size 56 mm TL
Copyright © M. R. Thomas
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Citing this page:

Tree of Life Web Project. 2007. Noturus exilis Nelson 1876. Slender Madtom. Version 23 May 2007 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Noturus_exilis/69908/2007.05.23 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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