West Virginia Fishes 109 



1980b, Stauffer et al. 1982, and from tributaries immediately adjacent 

 the main channel Ohio River in Ohio (Trautman 1981). The mountain 

 madtom may have been collected by Krumholz et al. (1962) from the 

 main channel Ohio River of West Virginia, but the specimens assigned 

 UL 11461 and 11617 are missing (W. D. Pearson, pers. comm.). On 20 

 April 1978 and 16 November 1982, the species was collected from two 

 locations in lower Elk River (Kanawha River drainage) during seining 

 surveys (WVWR 135 verified by Hocutt, 278 by Jenkins). These WVWR 

 records represent the first verifiable evidence of N. eleutherus in the 

 state, and a distributional record for the lower Kanawha River. 



On each occasion, the mountain madtom was taken in swift riffles 

 (ca. 50 cm depth) containing medium to large rubble. The river was ca. 

 30 m wide at both sites. Species associates common to both localities 

 were: Etheostoma blennioides, E. camurum, E. tippecanoe, E. variatum, 

 E. zonale, Percina copelandi, and P. macrocephala. Absence of N. 

 eleutherus in past surveys is attributed to a lack of sampling in large 

 rivers and their major tributaries. 



Noturus stigmosus Taylor, northern madtom 



Rohde (1980a) gave this madtom's range as tributaries of the Mis- 

 sissippi River from the western margin of Tennessee, northeastward 

 throughout much of the Ohio River basin to the western edge of Penn- 

 sylvania; it also occurs within the western Lake Erie drainages in Ohio, 

 Indiana, and Missouri. Relative to West Virginia, Clay (1975; KFW 

 1221) and Burr (1980) reported this species from the Levisa Fork of the 

 Big Sandy River in Kentucky, Trautman (1981) reported it from the 

 lower Muskingum River and a minor tributary near the main channel 

 Ohio River in Ohio, and Cooper (1983) reported it from certain tribu- 

 taries of the Allegheny River drainage in Pennsylvania. Denoncourt et 

 al. (1975) expected it to occur within West Virginia waters. The follow- 

 ing data represent the first verfication of the species in West Virginia (C. 

 H. Hocutt, pers. comm.; Stauffer et al. 1982). Paucity of surveys from 

 large rivers probably explains its exclusion from previous collections. 



In 1976, 1977, and 1981 N. stigmosus was taken from the Kanawha 

 River at London, West Virginia, during lock rotenone surveys (WVWR 

 27, 48, 352; first two verified by Hocutt). In addition, two specimens 

 were collected from the same area in 1977 by Virginia Polytechnic Insti- 

 tute personnel (C. H. Hocutt, pers. comm.). On 7 October 1980 the fifth 

 collection of this species occurred in Tug Fork River (Big Sandy drain- 

 age) during a rotenone survey near Matewan, Mingo County, West Vir- 

 ginia (WVWR 361). Species common to all WVWR samples were: 

 Notropis volucellus, Moxostoma anisurum, M. macrolepidotum, Ictalu- 

 rus punctatus, Noturus flavus, Pylodictis olivaris, Micropterus punctu- 

 latus, and Percina caprodes. 



