New Distributional Records 



of Eastern Kentucky Fishes 



Melvin L. Warren, Jr. 



Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, 

 Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 



ABSTRACT. — A two year survey of the major river drainages of 

 eastern Kentucky resulted in new records and range extensions of sev- 

 eral rare or poorly known fish species. Ichthyomyzon fossor is reported 

 for the first time in the Little Sandy River and South Fork of the 

 Kentucky River, and Notropis galacturus from the Big Sandy, Laurel 

 and upper Cumberland (above the falls) rivers. The range of Phoxinus 

 cumber landensis is extended to include Laurel and Rockcastle rivers. 

 Etheostoma tippecanoe is noted for the first time in the Cumberland 

 River within Kentucky, and the most upstream record of Percina 

 phoxocephala in the Ohio River valley of the state is reported. Addi- 

 tional localities and range extensions are noted for eight rare or poorly 

 known Kentucky fishes. Notes on distribution, habitat, and associates 

 are included. 



INTRODUCTION 



During 1978 and 1979, the Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission 

 conducted aquatic biota surveys of selected streams in four major river 

 drainages of eastern Kentucky (Harker et al. 1979, 1980). Considering 

 past and projected growth of the coal mining industry in this region and 

 the concomitant impacts on stream ichthyofauna, it is apparent that 

 documentation of the existing fauna is both necessary and timely. Much 

 of the distributional information concerning this region is from scat- 

 tered collections without proper documentation (e.g., locality data, 

 voucher material). The stream fishes of the Big Sandy, Licking, and 

 upper Cumberland rivers are particularly poorly known in terms of sub- 

 stantiated collections (Burr 1980). Collecting efforts of the Kentucky 

 Nature Preserves Commission resulted in distributional information for 

 several poorly known or rare species in the state and suggest that our 

 knowledge of the eastern Kentucky ichthyofauna is far from complete. 



Several of the records reported are included in both Burr (1980) 

 and Lee et al. (1980), although not in the detail covered here. The fol- 

 lowing accounts of species are presented for the purpose of enriching 

 and elucidating knowledge of the varied Kentucky ichthyofauna. 



SPECIES ACCOUNTS 



The following accounts extend the range of several fish species 

 within and across drainages of eastern Kentucky. The majority of 

 reported specimens were collected during field work conducted by the 

 Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, although several records were 

 taken from collections examined by the author at the Kentucky 



Brimleyana No. 6: 129-140. December 1981. 129 



