Distribution of Fishes 57 



Ouachita river drainages in Oklahoma and Arkansas (Page and Burr 1991). The 

 only verified North Carolina specimens are from Spring Creek, Madison Coun- 

 ty and were collected in 1889 (Taylor 1969). It was also collected at two sites in 

 the French Broad River just upstream of Douglas Reservoir, Cocke County, Ten- 

 nessee (32 km downriver of North Carolina) during a 1979 TVA survey (Harned 

 1979). We did not collect it at any of the 34 sites we surveyed in the lower reach- 

 es of the French Broad River system. We concur with Menhinick (1986) that it 

 has been extirpated from North Carolina. 



Snubnose darter, Etheostoma simoterum (Cope) 



The snubnose darter is abundant in the Tennessee River drainage from 

 southwestern Virginia to northern Alabama (Rohde et al. 1994). The only puta- 

 tive extant specimen from North Carolina was reported by Cope (1870) and is 

 now in the United States National Museum, but it is unclear from Cope's records 

 whether its provenance is North Carolina or Tennessee (Menhinick 1986). Men- 

 hinick (1986) reported two unverified records from Laurel and Spring creeks, 

 Madison County, North Carolina. We collected no snubnose darter, nor did Men- 

 hinick (1986). M. Hopey, who made 13 collections for a general survey of the 

 streams in this area for the Western North Carolina Alliance in 1992, did not col- 

 lect it (M. Kelly, personal communication, 1994). We consider the past or pre- 

 sent occurrence of this darter in North Carolina to be highly doubtful. 



Wounded darter, Etheostoma vulneratum (Cope) 



The wounded darter is restricted to the upper Tennessee River drainage 

 from Virginia to Georgia (Rohde et al. 1994). It is abundant in the Little Ten- 

 nessee River in North Carolina (F. Rohde, personal observations). Although the 

 type locality is Spring Creek, Madison County, North Carolina (Cope 1870), 

 none has been reported from the French Broad River system in North Carolina 

 since then, including our survey. Harned (1979) collected one specimen in the 

 French Broad River in Tennessee at a point approximately 23 km downstream of 

 the North Carolina state line. We conclude that it has been extirpated from the 

 French Broad River system in North Carolina. Its status of special concern in 

 North Carolina appears conservative. 



Olive darter, Percina squamata (Gilbert and Swain) 



The olive darter is confined to the Rockcastle and Big South Fork rivers 

 in the Cumberland River drainage in Kentucky and Tennessee and to the upper 

 Tennessee River drainage (Rohde et al. 1994). There are five records from the 

 lower reaches of the French Broad River system (three in the main river and two 

 in Spring Creek) in North Carolina, and four records from the Nolichucky River 

 system (three in Cane River and two in North Toe River); it also occurs in the 

 Little Tennessee and upper Hiwassee rivers in the state (Menhinick 1991). We 



