Catfish of the Month Right January 2023

Noturus furiosus
Carolina Madtom, Carolina-giftmalle (Denmark) - Noturus furiosus   Jordan & Meek, 1889

Article © J. R. Shute / Conservation Fisheries, uploaded January 28, 2023.

With the first Catfish of the Month of 2023, I am reminded how much I love madtoms. They're illegal to keep in some parts of the UK as part of a blanket ban on Ictlaurids, but thankfully its is legal to keep members of this genus in Scotland while their larger cousins are not allowed. However, some species of madtoms, or Noturus, are far from safe in their natural habitats and must be rightly left there and protected. J.R Shute of Conservation Fisheries, Inc., Tennessee, goes on to explain more.

The Carolina Madtom, Noturus furiosus, is a boldly patterned member of the subgenus Rabida. Most members of this group have heavily armored pectoral spines, and furiosus is no exception. This rare Madtom is known from the lower Piedmont and upper Coastal Plain of North Carolina in the Neuse and Tar river systems. The Carolina Madtom was listed as Endangered by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 2021. They have all but disappeared from the Neuse River (if indeed any still persist there). They are still known from the Tar River but remain rare even there.

Like most Madtoms these are nocturnal, cruising the stream floor for food items. They feed mostly on aquatic insects and worms. Spawning takes place in late Spring through much of the Summer. As in other Madtoms, eggs are laid in a cohesive cluster under a piece of cover, usually a flat "slabrock" or submerged piece of wood. The male guards the nest until the eggs hatch and continue guarding them until the fry are able to leave the nest. This can be up to a month during which time the males remain sealed under the nest cover. If the nest is disturbed, the males will often eat the eggs rather than let a predator have them. This large Madtom (up to five or six inches total length) can lay 200 or more eggs at a time.

The primary threats to the Carolina Madtom are sedimentation from poor agricultural practices and development. It also appears that the introduced Flathead Catfish, Pylodictis olivaris may be a predator on the smaller Madtom. If anyone should ever see one of these rare Madtoms, they should be left alone. A voucher photo can be taken so long as the fish is not handled. There are no other Madtoms on the Atlantic Slope that these could be confused with.

Conservation Fisheries, Inc. (CFI) is currently propagating Carolina Madtoms under contract with the USFWS and in cooperation with the NC State Conservation Aquaculture Center Marion Fish Hatchery in Marion, NC. CFI was initially contracted to develop propagation protocols in hopes of restoring this beautiful Madtom into suitable habitat within its historic range. Propagated fish have been stocked by USFWS into a stream within their historic range in hopes of re-establishing a viable population therein.


Copyright information for the images used in this article can be found on the species' full Cat-eLog page.

Down Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name Noturus furiosus  Jordan & Meek, 1889
Common Names Carolina Madtom
Carolina-giftmalle (Denmark)
Type Locality Neuse River, at Millburnie, near Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, U.S.A.
Pronunciation no two russ
Etymology From the Greek notos, meaning back and oura, meaning tail. In reference to the confluent adipose and caudal fins. 
Articles
Down Species Information
Size 120mm or 4.7" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Down Habitat Information
Distribution North America: Neuse and Tar River drainages in North Carolina, USA.
North American Atlantic Drainages, Neuse (click on these areas to find other species found there)
North American Atlantic Drainages, Tar (click on these areas to find other species found there)

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IUCN Red List Category Near Threatened, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2012.
Down Husbandry Information
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Down Further Information
Reference Proceedings of the United States National Museum v. 11 (no. 723), pp 351, Pl. 43 (figs. 1-1b).
Registered Keepers There is no registered keeper.
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There is no wish to keep this species.
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There is no record of this fish being seen.
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Last Update 2020 Oct 14 02:04 (species record created: 2023 Jan 28 01:35)

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