Ambloplites Constellatus, a New Species of Rock Bass from the Ozark Upland of Arkansas and Missouri with a Review of Western Rock Bass Populations
Ambloplites constellatus, a New Species of Rock Bass from the Ozark Upland of Arkansas and Missouri with a Review of Western Rock Bass Populations ROBERT C. CASHNER and ROYAL D. SUTTKUS V Reprinted from THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST Vol. 98, No. 1, July, 1977, pp. 147-161 University of Notre Dame Press Notre Dame, Indiana Ambloplites constellatus, a New Species of Rock Bass from the Ozark Upland of Arkansas and Missouri with a Review of Western Rock Bass Populations' ROBERT C. CASHNER Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70122 and ROYAL D. SUTTKUS Tulane University, Museum of Natural History, Belle Chasse, Louisiana 70037 ABSTRACT: A new species of rock bass, Ambloplites constellatus, is described from the upland section of the White River in Arkansas and Missouri. It is compared with the closely related northern rock bass (A. rupestris) from Missouri and Meramec river populations, the southern rock bass (A. ariommus) from the Ouachita and Little river drainages, and with other western rock bass populations of undetermined status. Ambloplites constellatus is distinguished from its congeners by its freckled color pattern and slender body form. Ambloplites constellatus occurs throughout the upper White River. There are two records of the species from the Osage River drainage in Missouri. INTRODUCTION In his study of Missouri fishes, Pflieger (1971) noted that rock bass from the upper White River system differed strikingly in color pattern from other Missouri populations. Based on our examination of mate- rial from throughout the Ozark Upland province, as well as other western rock bass populations, we describe the upper White River population as a new species, Ambloplites constellatus, the Ozark rock bass.
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