Noturus gyrinus
(Mitchill 1817)
Family Ictaluridae

Lateral view of a tadpole madtom
The tadpole madtom pictured above was collected in Jefferson County, Florida in 2014. It is now part of the Florida Museum ichthyology collection, UF 236311. Florida Museum photo by Zachary Randall

The tadpole madtom is a member of the North American catfish family. It is stout-bodied and uniformly tan or gray on the back and side of the body, with herringbone lines emanating from a distinctive, dark gray and veinlike line along the mid-side of the body. Tadpole madtoms can be found in lakes, ponds and pools and backwaters of creeks and small to large rivers. This species is usually found over mud, and often near woody debris.

Status & distribution

  • Status — Native freshwater
  • Florida Distribution — Western and North Central and Peninsula drainages
  • River Drainages — Perdido River, Escambia River, Blackwater River, Yellow River, Choctawhatchee River, Econfina Creek, Apalachicola River, Ochlockonee River, minor Gulf tributaries, Suwannee River, Withlacoochee River, Tampa Bay, the Mayakka or Peace River, Lake Okeechobee, Caloosahatchee River, the Everglades, Indian River, St. John’s River and the St. Mary’s River
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