114 
Joe C. Feeman, Jr. 
gravel, the preferred habitiat of A. clara (Williams 1975). Most individ- 
uals were collected from pools (0. 7-2.0 m) with slight current. 
The greatest number of specimens of A. clara taken in a single 
collecting trip was 20 on 26 May 1981 at Buchanan Ford (RM 99.2). 
These individuals were in spawning condition, as indicated by faint, iri- 
descent blue coloration on their opercles. Most of these individuals were 
taken in a shallow (30 cm), narrow chute with moderate current over 
clean-swept gravel substrate with small pockets of sand, which suggests 
that A. clara moves up on shallow riffles to spawn. The presence of such 
a large number of individuals displaying coloration indicates that this 
species was very near spawning at the time of collection. This is some- 
what earlier than Williams (1975) found (July and early August) for the 
breeding season of A. clara. 
The results of our collections indicate a healthy population of A. 
clara in the Powell River. Population size is apparently limited by avail- 
ability of suitable habitat. Other areas of suitable habitat are present, 
but are mainly in pools too deep for effective collection. 
The slender chub, Hybopsis cahni, which is presently endemic to 
the Clinch and Powell rivers (a single specimen was found in a preim- 
poundment study of the Holston River, 1941; Etnier et al. 1979), had 
not previously been collected in Virginia. We collected this species at 
RM 117.4 (37 specimens) and RM 117.9 (5 specimens). Both of these 
sites are in Lee County, Virginia. This species was also taken at three 
lower sites: RM 95.3 (3), RM 99.2 (1 1), and RM 106.7 (9). 
The bullhead minnow, Pimephales vigilax (Baird and Girard), also 
had not been collected from the state of Virginia prior to this study. Six 
specimens were collected from the Powell River, RM 1 17.3 (Lee County, 
Virginia) in June 1979. In 1980, a single specimen was collected in the 
Clinch River (RM 211.1). This represents the northernmost occurrence 
of P. vigilax in the Tennessee River drainage (Lee et al. 1980). Later in 
the study, five specimens were also collected at RM 6.2 in the North 
Fork Holston River. The last two sites are in Scott County, Virginia. 
Other species collected in the Powell River have special concern 
status in Virginia, according to Jenkins and Musick (1980). They were: 
paddlefish, Polyodon spathula (Walbaum); popeye shiner, Notropis ari- 
ommus\ river redhorse, Moxostoma carinatum\ bluebreast darter, 
Etheostoma camurum\ blueside darter, E. jessiae\ channel darter, Per - 
cina copelandi ; and tangerine darter, P. aurantiaca. Tangerine darter is 
also listed as in need of management in Tennessee (Starnes and Etnier 
1980). 
North Fork Elolston River 
Forty-two species were taken from the two sites on the North Fork 
Holston River (Table 2). The two sites were dissimilar in gradient, sub- 
strate type, and average width. The upstream site was characterized by 
moderately steep gradient and swift current, boulder-rubble substrate, 
and an average width of approximately 30 m. The lower site had a less 
steep gradient and reduced water velocity, a more diverse substrate with 
