Rediscovery of the Crystal Darter, 
Ammocrypta asprella, in the Ohio River Basin 
D. A. ClNCOTTA 1 AND M. E. HOEFT 2 
Wildlife Resources Division, 
West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, 
Charleston, West Virginia 
ABSTRACT . — The collection of Ammocrypta asprella is reported 
from the Elk River, Kanawha River system, West Virginia. This is the 
first record of the crystal darter from the Ohio River basin in 41 years 
and the first for West Virginia. The status of the population is 
unknown; repeated attempts to collect additional specimens failed. 
Mining of natural gas and coal, along with urban and industrial 
development, poses a threat to this population. Because West Virginia 
has no state “endangered species” laws, the potential for protection 
and management of this population is limited. 
Ammocrypta asprella (Jordan), the crystal darter, is found in cer- 
tain Gulf slope drainages and widely throughout the Mississippi River 
basin of North America (Page 1983). It is the largest representative of 
the genus Ammocrypta and is the only member of the subgenus Crystal - 
laria. This darter occurs primarily in large streams and rivers, usually 
over or buried in clean sand and gravel, and is most frequently taken in 
waters where a constant current is maintained (Kuehne and Barbour 
1983). Its distribution and abundance have been significantly reduced in 
recent years owing to dam building and pollution (Kuehne and Barbour 
1983, Page 1983). Because of this apparent jeopardy, Deacon et al. 
(1979) regarded the species to be of Special Concern (i.e., potentially 
threatened at the national level). 
On 13 November 1980, we collected a single specimen (55.6 mm 
SL) of A. asprella while boat electroshocking (240 volts AC) at night on 
the Elk River of the lower Kanawha River system (ca. 1.6 km below 
Mink Shoals or Elk Hills, Kanawha County, West Virginia). The spec- 
imen was deposited in the West Virginia Department of Natural 
Resources, Wildlife Resources Division Fish Museum at Elkins (catalog 
no. WVWR 363). This account marks the rediscovery of the crystal dar- 
ter in the Ohio River basin, where it is considered extirpated from all 
states in which it was previously recorded (i.e., Tennessee, D. A. Etnier, 
1 Present address: P.O. Box 67, Elkins, West Virginia 26241. 
2 Present address: McClinic Wildlife Station, Point Pleasant, West Virginia 25550. 
Brimleyana No. 13:133-136, July 1987 
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