Gauley River Fishes 63 



Percidae 



Etheostoma blenmoides. — Greenside darters were collected from upper 

 Meadow River (2 stations), Cranberry River (1) and Williams River (1) 

 by Addair (1944). Other collections are OSU (LM-76-7); CU 25393, 

 32396, 32536; UMMZ 95279, 165710, 165758. We collected it from 26 

 stations and it was locally abundant. 



Etheostoma caeruleum. — The first record of the Rainbow darter above 

 Kanawha Falls was reported in Hocutt et al. (1973) from New River just 

 above the mouth of East River. Subsequently, it was collected from East 

 River by Hambrick et al. (1973) and Stauffer et al. (1975), and from New 

 River (Stauffer 1975). A total of 272 specimens was taken in this survey 

 from six stations on the lower Gauley (AEL 146, 147, 148, 154, 160, 185). 

 No other records are known from above the Falls. Two dams, several 

 cataracts and the New River gorge separate this population from the 

 small one described by Hocutt et al. (1973) in the vicinity of East River. 

 Masnik, Hocutt, and Stauffer (ms) made over 200 collections in the upper 

 New River system, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina, 1971- 

 1975, and no other populations of E. caeruleum were located. Thus, the 

 East River population appears to be a relict, virtually isolated from other 

 populations. 



Eheostoma flabellare. — Addair (1944) collected the Fantail darter from 14 

 of 19 localities sampled. We also found it widely distributed. Museum 

 records are: OSU (LM-76-7); UMMZ 95278, 108174, 108181, 108182, 

 131826, 165704, 165711, 165759. 



Etheostoma nigrum. — Addair (1944) was the first to report the Johnny 

 darter above Kanawha Falls, collecting it at two localities: New River 

 above the confluence with Gauley River; and Glade Creek, tributary to 

 New River. He felt that its absence in Gauley River was related to rapid 

 currents and lack of suitable substrate for food organisms. We found it at 

 13 localities distributed from the headwaters to the mouth. Its distribu- 

 tion and absence above Summersville Dam indicate that it is indigenous 

 to the system. The only record located in addition to Addair (1944) was 

 from Gauley River, Route 41 bridge south of Summersville, West 

 Virginia (CU 32537). 



Etheostoma osburm. — The Finescale saddled darter is endemic to the 

 Kanawha River drainage above Kanawha Falls. Jenkins et al. (1972) 

 reported it from Elk River below the Falls; however, the validity of these 

 data is doubted (R.E. Jenkins, pers. comm.). Our recent efforts in Elk 

 River have yielded only E. variatum, a sibling species. Addair (1944) found 

 E. osburm in upper Gauley River (1 station), Williams River (1) and 

 Cherry River (2). We found it at ten localities (Tables 1 and 2; Fig 1), be- 

 ing more predominant in the headwaters than the lower drainage. Other 



