1 1 2 Dan A. Cincotta, et a 1 . 



(Wallace et al. 1980). Its southeastern range limit is the Potomac- 

 Shenandoah drainage (R. E. Jenkins, pers. comm.), and the taxonomic 

 status of this Potomac River population is uncertain. Strauss (1980) 

 said that the Potomac River population represents an undescribed 

 endemic species, genetically similar to Cottus girardi but morphometri- 

 cally similar to C. bairdi. However, Jenkins (pers. comm.) indicates it 

 may only be a subspecies of cognatus. For the purpose of this paper, the 

 Potomac River population is recognized as Cottus cognatus. 



Until 1975, the slimy sculpin was regarded as part of the West Vir- 

 ginia fauna by Raney (1947), Hubbs and Lagler (1958), and Miles 

 (1971). Denoncourt et al. (1975) altered the occurrence status to antici- 

 pated because of the absence of verifiable specimens (J. R. Stauffer, 

 pers. comm.). The only published West Virginia record of this cottid 

 was recently reported ambiguously by Wallace et al. (1980). This infor- 

 mation, which may be in error (R. L. Wallace, pers. comm.), is proba- 

 bly based on a missing UMMZ collection (75426) taken from South 

 Branch Potomac River in 1939. Apparently the first records of this spe- 

 cies in West Virginia were overlooked, as in 1909 E. L. Goldsborough 

 collected it from two locations in the Opequon Creek drainage of the 

 Potomac River, Berkeley County (USNM 64591, 64593; R. E. Strauss, 

 pers. comm.). The only other records of this fish in the state were taken 

 in 1975 and 1981 by WVWR personnel from two streams in Jefferson 

 County, West Virginia (WVWR 256, 257, verified by Jenkins). Species 

 common to both locations were Rhinichthys atratulus, Semotilus mar- 

 garita, and Catostomus commersoni. Absence of C. cognatus from 

 numerous past collections in the West Virginia part of the Potomac 

 River suggests a sparse distribution or confusion with Cottus bairdi or 

 C. girardi. 

 Cottus girardi Robins, Potomac sculpin 



This species is currently known only from the Potomac, James, and 

 Susquehanna river drainages of the Atlantic slope (Strauss 1977). 

 Although originally described and aligned to the carolinae species group 

 by Robins (1961), Savage (1962) considered it synonymous with Cottus 

 bairdi. Its taxonomic status remained controversial (Jenkins et al. 1972, 

 Mathews et al. 1978, Stauffer et al. 1978) until resurrected by Strauss 

 (1977) and Mathews (1980). It may be fairly common in the upper 

 Potomac River tributaries as suggested by data of Mathews et al. 

 (1978), Jenkins et al. (1980), Goodfellow and Lebo (1981), and Cincotta 

 et al. (ms.). The WVWR has only two verifiable records of this species 

 to date (WVWR 345, 499, former verified by Jenkins). 

 AMBIGUOUS RECORDS 



The first attempt to document fishes of West Virginia was made by 

 Goldsborough and Clark (1908), but most of their data were collected 



