A Distributional Checklist of the Fishes of Kentucky 
Brooks M. Burr 
Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University, 
Carbondale, Illinois 62901 
ABSTRACT. —A compilation of records of fishes from Kentucky 
waters based on specimens deposited in museums, personal collecting, 
and accepted literature reports revealed that 229 species occur or did oc- 
cur in the state. A substantial amount of new distributional data is 
presented in the form of an annotated list including records of several 
species of fishes previously unreported from the state. Distributional 
statements in the checklist are based on individual spot maps completed 
for all Kentucky fishes. A list of five problematical species is included at 
the end of the checklist. 
INTRODUCTION 
The fish fauna of Kentucky is more diverse than that of any other in- 
land area of comparable size in North America except Tennessee and 
Alabama. Presently, 229 species are known to occur or to have occurred 
in Kentucky waters and only 10 or 11 are the result of introduction by 
man. A major factor contributing to the present completeness of our 
knowledge of the Kentucky fish fauna has been its rich history of 
ichthyological investigations going back to the time of one of North 
America’s earliest ichthyologists, Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. Since 
Rafinesque’s groundbreaking work on Ohio River valley fishes (1820) 
there have been four other reports on Kentucky fishes (Woolman 1892, 
Garman 1894, Evermann 1918, Clay 1975). Woolman’s study is of im- 
mense historical value in documenting the distribution of many Ken- 
tucky fishes before most of the changes brought on by man took place. 
Garman’s and Evermann’s reports are mostly compilations containing 
little original information. The most recent work on Kentucky fishes 
(Clay 1975) did not include adequate distributional information and ex- 
cluded nearly 30 species of fishes that now occur in Kentucky. Moreover, 
much of Clay’s distributional information is in need of revision. This is in 
part due to the descriptions of new species, the resurrection of others 
from synonymy, recent intensive collecting in poorly worked areas, and 
examination of museum records of Kentucky fishes in many institutions 
throughout the eastern United States that apparently were not consulted 
by Clay. 
A new Fishes of Kentucky, aimed at summarizing the distribution 
Brimleyana No. 3: 53-84 July 1980. 
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