Least Brook Lamprey in Kentucky 85 



Ohio River Drainage.— Hardin Co.: UL 5949 (1) trib. Otter Cr. near Vine 

 Grove, 11 March 1956; UL 4810 (6) Otter Cr., 3.2 km W Vine Grove, 13 

 March 1954; UL 1 1886 (3) Otter Cr., S Vine Grove, 6 May 1959. 



Green-Barren River Drainage.— Allen Co.: SIUC uncat. (4) Long Hungry Cr., 

 1.6 km SE Mt. Zion, 18 March 1980. Barren Co.: SIUC uncat. (4) Peter 

 Cr., 1.6 km SE Dry Fork, 18 March 1980. Edmonson Co.: UL 5229 (5) 

 trib. Beaverdam Cr. near Brownsville, 31 March 1955. Green Co.: UL 

 11001 (1) Caney Fork at Hwy. 61, 8 April 1978. Larue Co.: INHS 78477 (1) 

 Walters Cr., 6.4 km N Magnolia, 28 March 1964. Russell Co.: INHS 79126 

 (1) trib. Goose Cr., 6.4 km NE Russell Spring, 18 March 1978. Simpson 

 Co.: UL 12835 (1) West Fork Drakes Cr., 1.6 km above confluence Lick 

 Fork, 8 November 1964. Taylor Co.: KU 11612(6) Big Pitman Cr., 11.8 km 

 NW Campbellsville, 2 April 1966. 



Rough River Drainage.— Hardin Co.: UL 11893 (19) Rough R., 25 April 1959; 

 UL 12905 (1) trib. Rough Cr., 0.8 km S Four Corners, 22 March 1959. 

 Grayson Co.: SIUC uncat. (1) Spring Fork, 1.6 km NW Tousey, 12 March 

 1979. Ohio Co.: SIUC uncat. (2) West Fork, 0.8 km N Fordsville, 11 

 March 1979; SIUC uncat. (2) Rocky Fork, 2.4 km SW Shreve, 12 March 

 1979; SIUC uncat. (1) Halls Cr., 13.3 km NE Hartford, 11 March 1979; 

 SIUC uncat. (1) Sixes Cr., 3.2 km S Renfrow, 12 March 1979. 



Lower Cumberland River Drainage. — Trigg Co.: SIUC uncat. (1) Donaldson 

 Cr., 9.6 km SE Canton, 10 March 1979. 



Tennessee River Drainage. — Calloway Co.: SIUC uncat. (1) West Fork Clarks 

 R. at Backusburg, 27 April 1969; SIUC uncat. (4) Beechy Cr., 1.6 km SE 

 New Concord, 23 March 1978. 



Obion River Drainage. — Graves Co.: SIUC uncat. (138) Terrapin Cr., from 

 Tennessee state line to 0.8 km S Bell City, 23 March 1978 - 4 June 1980. 



RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 



Distribution and Habitat 



Lampetra aepyptera is the most common lamprey in Kentucky, 

 occurring in all major drainages of the state except the Tradewater 

 River and lower Ohio and Mississippi River tributaries in the extreme 

 west (Burr 1980). The species is collected less frequently in the Kentucky 

 River system than in other major eastern Kentucky drainages (Fig. 1). 

 Its occurrence in direct, sandy tributaries of the Mississippi River (e.g., 

 Obion River) in western Kentucky and Tennessee is somewhat unusual, 

 because this area is generally inhabited by fishes characteristic of the 

 Coastal Plain and lowlands. 



Collections made in riffles and raceways of small to medium-size, 

 sand-gravel bottom creeks during March and April often yielded adults 

 of L. aepyptera. The lack of more records of this species for Kentucky is 

 almost surely the result of few collections being made in small streams 

 during early spring. 



