The yellowfin madtom catfish, listed as "Threatened" by the U.S.
Department of the Interior, is slightly larger than the Smoky madtom, but
it is still not large enough for eating. The largest adult will grow no
bigger than 134 mm (5.25 inches). That's about the size of an adult human
hand!
Yellowfin madtom catfishes are found in Citico Creek in Monroe County, Tennessee; Powell River near the Tennessee-Virginia border in Hancock County, Tennessee; and in Virginia's Copper Creek. They live in the quiet pools of streams. During the day, they hide under brush piles and in crevices.
Source: The Fishes of Tennessee, by David A. Etnier and Wayne C. Starnes. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 1993.
Photograph by J.R. Shute