148 Ronald R. Cicerello and Robert S. Butler 



known from the upper Cumberland River drainage as a result of two 

 1925 collections deposited at UMMZ (B. M. Burr, pers. comm.). The 

 highfin carpsucker persists in the upper Cumberland River drainage 

 despite extensive habitat alteration resulting from impoundment of 162 

 km of the mainstem Cumberland River and pollution from coal mining. 

 These records lend credence to speculation that other fishes, especially 

 large-river forms, may be collected from the Buck Creek drainage 

 (Table 2), and emphasize the need to sample such habitat during faunal 

 surveys. 



A total of 14 specimens of Ericymba buccata was collected from 

 five sites in the Buck Creek drainage by Harker et al. (1979) and during 

 this survey. Moreover, four additional specimens (EKU 1215) were 

 recently collected from the adjacent Pitman Creek drainage, Pulaski 

 County. These new records significantly expand the range of the silver- 

 jaw minnow in the upper Cumberland River drainage as depicted by 

 Burr et al. (1980) and Gilbert (1980a). Buck Creek has been rather well 

 collected (B. M. Burr, pers. comm.), which suggests that the silverjaw 

 minnow has only recently dispersed into the Buck and Pitman creek 

 drainages. However, its current distribution closely approximates the 

 upper Cumberland River drainage on the Cumberland Plateau before 

 the upstream migration of Cumberland Falls, suggesting that the species 

 was simply overlooked by previous investigators. According to McGrain 

 (1966), Cumberland Falls originated on the Pottsville escarpment near 

 Burnside, Kentucky, and has eroded into the Cumberland Plateau 

 approximately 72 km to its present location. Prior to the retreat of the 

 falls, Buck Creek was the most downstream major tributary to the 

 Cumberland River above the falls, while Pitman Creek and Big South 

 Fork Cumberland River discharged below the falls. Thus, E. buccata is 

 now known to occupy all major tributaries to the Cumberland River 

 upstream from the apparent original location of Cumberland Falls. 

 Although it may have been introduced into Buck and Pitman creeks via 

 bait bucket transfer, Burr et al. (1980) mentioned evidence of recent 

 range expansion by the silverjaw minnow in other states and discussed 

 the implications of several newly discovered, isolated populations in the 

 lower Green and Tradewater rivers of Kentucky. 



Several alternative mechanisms for the dispersal of E. buccata into 

 Buck and Pitman creeks, are available. The first involves movement 

 through subsurface channels, which potentially connect Buck Creek 

 with adjacent drainages. Karst topography including numerous sink- 

 holes and subterranean streams is common in the Buck Creek drainage 

 and extends east and northeast to the Dix and Rockcastle river drainages 

 and west to the Pitman Creek drainage. Ericymba buccata is present in 

 the Dix River and western tributaries to the Rockcastle River (Burr et 



