madtom

[ mad-tom ]

noun

1. any of several tadpolelike, freshwater catfishes of the genus Noturus, of the central and eastern U.S., having a poisonous pectoral spine: some are threatened or endangered.

Word History and Origins

Origin of madtom¹

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; mad + tom

Example Sentences

"Some species, like the elegant madtom, had high relative sensitivity across spatial extents yet had no state or federal conservation listings," Silknetter said.

From Science Daily

I report on the dying and the dead, sure, but I also spend my days talking to the scientists, conservationists, activists, politicians and average citizens working hard to make sure that as few species as possible go the way of the flat pigtoe, the Molokai creeper, the Scioto madtom, the Little Mariana fruit bat, or any of the other 19 species the Fish and Wildlife Service just proposed as extinct.

From Salon

“Contentea Creek is one of the last places where there are certain madtom species, which is a small native catfish,” Ricks said.

From Washington Times

Among the thirty-one species of Abrams Creek fish that were wiped out was one called the smoky madtom, which scientists had never seen before.

From Literature

It says the dam removal will also help species including the federally endangered Roanoke logperch as well as declining Roanoke bass, orangefin madtom and bigeye jumprock populations.

From Washington Times