Stonecats like the other members of the catfish family, have barbels and dermal taste buds that are used for the location of food. Dermal taste buds are located on the edipermis of the fish rather than the mouth.
Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; chemical
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
The main predators of stonecats are larger freshwater fishes. Humans often catch stonecats and use them as bait for other freshwater species of fish.
Known Predators:
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
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
The lifespan of stonecats in captivity is not known. In an Illinois population the lifespan was only 5 to 6 years. The max reported age was 7 years.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 7 (high) years.
Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 5 to 6 years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 5-6 years.
Typical lifespan
Status: captivity: 5 to 9 years.
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
Stonecats (Noturus flavus) are native to the Neartic region. They occur throughout the upper Mississippi Basin, much of the Great Lakes drainage, and in the Hudson Bay drainage in the Red River (Etnier and Starnes, 1993). Their range extends north into some Canadian provinces such as Ontario and Alberta.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Stonecats are primarily invertivores. The young will feed upon the larvae of mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera) caddisflies (Trichoptera), and midges (Chironomidae). Adult stonecats will feed on mainly mayfly larvae and crayfish (Astacoidea), but they will also take small darters and minnows.
Animal Foods: fish; insects; aquatic crustaceans
Primary Diet: carnivore (Piscivore , Insectivore )
Stonecats are neither commensal nor mutualist partners with other species. However they are known to host one mussel species, (Epioblasma obliquata obliquata).
Commensal/Parasitic Species:
Stonecats serve as indicators of water quality. They are not present in highly polluted areas or areas with a large amount of siltation. Stonecats are a very valuable indicator species to humans.
The only problem stonecats may pose for a human is their ability to puncture a person's skin and inflict a painful sting, similar to a wasp. They have a gland at the base of their pectoral and dorsal fins that was thought to secrete a toxin. Recent research shows that the membrane surrounding the spine is responsible for the toxin. The effect of the basal gland is unknown.
Negative Impacts: injures humans (bites or stings)
In the first year in South Dakota young reached 79 mm. In the third through the fourth years they averaged 99, 114, and 137 mm.
The IUCN Red List, CITIES appendices, and the US Endangered Species Act list the status of Noturus flavus as not threatened or no special status, meaning that there is no threat of this species going extinct.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
Stonecats are good indicators of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) populations. It seems if there is a good population of stonecats in the area, there will also be a good number of smallmouth bass.
Stonecats form monogamous pairs for breeding.
Mating System: monogamous
Stonecats spawn when water temperatures reach 25 degree C. The female deposits a jelly like cluster of eggs that number from 100-500 on the underside of flat stones or other, similar structures. The male is thought to guard the nest until the young hatch. Some believe that the female also may play a role in guarding the eggs. The adults will guard the nest until the young are ready to leave.
Breeding interval: Stonecats breed once yearly.
Breeding season: Stonecats nest from April to July.
Range number of offspring: 200 to 1200.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 3 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 3 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (External ); oviparous
Average number of offspring: 300.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 1095 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 1095 days.
The nest is guarded by what is thought to be the male, but some believe the female also takes part in guarding the young. It is more commonly understood that the male does all or most of the guarding of the young from the time the eggs are laid until the time the eggs hatch. The male continues to guard the fry until they leave the nest.
Parental Investment: male parental care ; female parental care ; pre-hatching/birth (Protecting: Male); pre-independence (Protecting: Male)
Noturus flavus, the stonecat, is a North American freshwater catfish of the family Ictaluridae. The common name is due to its habit of hiding near or under stones in fast-moving water.[2]
Stonecats are small, slender, flat-headed catfishes, with the adipose fin keel-like and continuous with the caudal fin except for a shallow notch. While the dorsal and pectoral spines of most members of this family cause wounds that irritate, the stonecat has venom glands, particularly on the bases of the pectoral spines, that cause extreme pain similar to that of a wasp sting. 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.
The upper jaw projects beyond the lower jaw and the tooth pad on the upper jaw has a narrow, crescent-shaped extension on each side. The premaxillary band of teeth has lateral backward extensions.
The skin of the stonecat is thick and is yellowish-brown in color. The sides of the head shade to yellow. The belly is whitish.
The stonecat has two forms. In the Cumberland drainage in Tennessee, a scientifically undescribed form possesses two light bars (perpendicular to body length) on its nape. In other areas, a patch exists in place of the bars. In both forms, the stonecat has a white spot at the rear of the dorsal fin base and one on the upper edge of the caudal fin. The rear of the pectoral spine has either no or a few weak teeth.[3][4][5][6]
Stonecats typically reach four to eight inches in length, but can reach 12 inches, at weights of 0.22 to 1.1 lbs. Typically, Stonecats live five to six years.[4]
The stonecat has a widespread distribution. Stonecats exist in the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, drainages of Hudson Bay, and the Mississippi River basin. Stonecats can also be found from the Hudson River drainage of New York west to the Red River drainage of Hudson Bay. Stonecats inhabit the drainage of the Mississippi River basin from Quebec to Alberta, southerly to northern Alabama and Mississippi and westerly to northeastern Oklahoma.[4][5] In Colorado, stonecats are present in St. Vrain Creek near Longmont, Colorado and in the Republican River south of Wray, Colorado.[7]
Stonecats live in freshwater environments, and are found from large creeks to small rivers. They occasionally are found in tiny creeks, or rivers as large as the Lower Mississippi. Stonecats occupy gently to fast-moving riffle areas with rocky substrates. They spend the majority of their time in moderate-moving, shallow riffles, but can also be found in deeper water (2 to 3 meters deep). Stonecat inhabit natural lakes, such as Lake Erie, where it prefers rock and gravel bars that are subject to significant wave action.[5][8]
The stonecat is a benthic, opportunistic feeder, using its sensitive barbels during the night to search for food on the river bottom. Stonecats eat a diversity of food items, such as aquatic insect larvae (e.g., mayflies), mollusks, minnows, fish eggs, isopods, amphipods, crayfish, plant material, worms and chilopods.[5][8]
Females mature in three to four years and a mean standard length of 4.7 inches. Stonecats form monogamous pairs for breeding, and spawn when water temperatures reach 25 °C. Clutches are guarded by males under large, flat rocks in pools or crests of riffles. Rocks used as spawning cover averaged 200 square inches and were found in water depths averaging 34 inches. The eggs are amber-yellow and are very large, ranging between 3.5 and 4 mm in diameter, with the whole egg mass enveloped by a gelatinous material. A female stonecat may produce between 200 and 1,200 eggs per year. Stonecats exhibit parental care, with the male or both sexes guarding the clutch, until the young head to shallower, calmer streams and waters to mature.[4][5][8]
The genus name Noturus, meaning "back tail", refers to the fusion of the adipose and caudal fins. The specific epithet flavus meaning "yellow", refers to the color distinction.[4]
Stonecats serve as indicators of water quality: they are not present in highly polluted or heavily silted areas. Stonecats are a valuable indicator species to humans, as they may also be useful as a marker for water temperature.[7]
The US Endangered Species Act lists the status of N. flavus as not threatened or no special status, meaning that this species faces no risk of extinction.[4]
Noturus flavus, the stonecat, is a North American freshwater catfish of the family Ictaluridae. The common name is due to its habit of hiding near or under stones in fast-moving water.