Checkered madtom facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Checkered madtom |
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The Checkered Madtom (Noturus flavater) is a small type of catfish that lives in freshwater. You can find it in rivers in the United States, mainly in Arkansas and Missouri. It's one of about 29 different kinds of madtoms!
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What Does the Checkered Madtom Look Like?
The Checkered Madtom has a strong, stout body, which means it's quite thick and solid. Its body is usually yellow. It has four clear, black stripes on its back that look a bit like saddles. The bottom part of its body is white or yellow.
This fish has a fin on its back called the dorsal fin. It has a black spot near the top. Its tail fin, also known as the caudal fin, has a black bar at its base and another at the very end. The tail fin is usually straight or a little bit rounded.
The Checkered Madtom is one of the larger madtom species. It usually grows to be about 4 to 7 inches long. The biggest madtom is the Stonecat (Noturus flavus).
Where Do Checkered Madtoms Live?
The Checkered Madtom is not very common. It lives in the upper part of the White River system. This area is in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. There's also a separate group, called a disjunct population, living in the Jacks Fork and Current River in Missouri.
These fish like to live along the edges of pools and in the calmer, deeper parts (called backwaters) of clear, small, or medium-sized rivers. They prefer rivers that flow at a moderate to fast speed. You can often find them hiding among fallen leaves and pieces of wood. Since they are demersal, they stay close to the bottom of the river.
How Do Checkered Madtoms Live?
Studies in the Jacks Fork River in Missouri show that Checkered Madtoms often spend their days near large rocks (boulder substrate). They usually live in water that is about 0.67 meters (about 2.2 feet) deep.
Checkered Madtoms are ready to spawn (lay eggs) by April. However, they might not actually lay their eggs until July. The male madtoms, usually 3 to 5 years old, are the ones who guard the nests. The females most likely leave the nests after laying eggs. The males then stay behind to take care of the developing embryos.
The young Checkered Madtom embryos look similar to those of other madtom species. When the baby fish (larvae) are about 10 to 12 days old, they start to look more like adult madtoms.
See also
In Spanish: Noturus flavater para niños
