O REPRINTED FROM VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF SCIENCE 117 Vol. 26 • No. 3 • 1975 © Copyright, 1975, by the Virginia Academy of Science Robert F. Denoncourt Department of Biology York College of Pennsylvania York, Pennsylvania 19405 Edward C. Raney 301 Forest Drive Ichthyological Associates Ithaca, New York 14850 and Charles H. Hocutt Jay R. Stauffer Appalachian Environmental Laboratory Center for Environmental and Estuarine Studies University of Maryland Frostburg, Maryland 21532 Manuscript received April 28, 1975 Revised manuscript received June 27, 1975 A Checklist of the Fishes of West Virginia Abstract—The known and expected fishes of West Virginia are major drainages have occurred, often leading to isola- documented. Seven major drainages occur in the state: the Poto- tion and speciation of distinct forms. Geological and mac and James of the Atlantic slope: and the Monongahela, Little biological aspects of the region were recently consid- Kanawha, upper and lower Karrawha system, Guyandotte, and ered by numerous workers in Holt 1969, 1970, 1971. Big Sandy of the Ohio River drainage. 151 species are known from Goldsborough and Clark (1908) published the first the state with an additional 18 species expected. checklist of the fishes of West Virginia. Other atten- tion was devoted by Addair (1944), Raney (1947), Introduction and Raney and Seaman (1950). Osburn (1901) and Trautman (1957) considered the fishes of the main- A unique and diverse fish fauna occurs in the seven channel Ohio River. However, a complete checklist major drainages of West Virginia. Atlantic coast sys- has been lacking since this earlier work. Jenkins et al. tems that drain montane eastern West Virginia are (1971) presented perhaps the most comprehensive the Potomac and James Rivers. Other drainages are view of the fishes of the state and surrounding drain- exclusively of the Ohio River system: Monongahela, ages. Schwartz (1967), Hambrick et al. (1973), Den- Little Kanawha, lower and upper Kanawha, G uyan- oncourt, Hocutt and Stauffer (1975) and Stauffer et dotte and the Big Sandy Rivers. The authors follow al. (1975) recently contributed to an overiew of West Jenkins, Lachner and Schwartz (1971), among oth- Virginia ichthyofauna. ers, who distinguish the Kanawha River as being 151 species representing 21 families are recorded separated by Kanawha Falls into upper and lower from West Virginia. An additional 18 species are ex- faunal associations. The upper Kanawha system is pected to occur (*). Other forms may be introduced virtually synonymous with the New River system in in time. Scientific and common names follow Bailey ichthyological literature. et al. (1970), except for Percina crassa roanoka (Jor- West Virginia streams have played a major role in dan and Jenkins) which is discussed by Hocutt and the dispersal of fishes since the Pleistocene. Numer- Hambrick (1973) and Page (1974). The checklist is a ous stream piracies and transfers of fauna between preliminary review of the fishes of West Virginia. A diagnostic key and distributional study considering Va. J. Sc. 26. 117-120 Fall l975 subspecies will follow in the near future. 118 THE VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF SCIENCE Checklist Hybognathus nuchalis Agassiz Silvery minnow Hybopsis aestivalis (Girard) Speckled chub Petromyrontidae H. amblops (Rafinesque) Bigeye chub H. dissinzilis (Kirtland) Streamline chub Ichthyomy:on bdelliunt (Jordan) Ohio lamprey H. storeriana (Kirtland) Silver chub I. greeleci Hubbs and Trautman A Ileghany brook lamprey *H. x-punctata Hubbs & Crowe Gravel chub I. unicus:pis Hubbs and Trautman Silver lamprey *Nocomis biguttatus ( Kirtland) Hornyhead chub Lampetra aepyptera (Abbott)) Least brook lamprey N. leptocephalus (Girard) Bluehead chub L. lamottei (Lesueur) American brook lamprey N. mieropogon (Cope) River chub N. platyrhynchus Lachner and Jenki ns Bigmouth chub Acipenseridae Notentigonus crysoleucas(Mitchill) Golden shiner Notropis alheolus Jordan White shiner . A cipenser fulvescens Rafinesque Lake sturgeon N. amoenu.s (Abbott) Comely shiner Scaphirhynehus platorynchus Shovelnose sturgeon N. analostanus ( Girard) Satinfin shiner ( Rafinesque) N. ardens ( Cope) Rosefin shiner N. ariommus (Cope) Popeye shiner Polyodontidae N. atherinoides Rafinesque Emerald shiner N. blenniu.s. (Girard) River shiner Polyodon spathula ( Walbaum ) Paddlefish *N. hoops Gilbert Bigeye shiner N. buchanani ( Meek) Ghost shiner Lepisosteidae *N. cerasinus (Cope) Crescent shiner N. chrysocephalus(Ratinesque) Striped shiner Lepisosteus osseus ( Linnaeus) Longnose gar N. cornutus ( Mitchill) Common shiner *L platostomus Rafinesque Shortnose gar N. dorsalis (Agassiz) Bigmouth shiner N. galacturus (Cope) Whitetail shiner Amiidae N. hudsonius (Clinton)) Spottail shiner N. photogenis (Cope) Silver shiner Anna calva Linnaeus Bowfin N. procne (Cope) Swallowtail shiner N. rube//us (Agassiz) Rosyface shiner Anguillidae N. scabriceps (Cope) New River shiner *N. semperasper Gilbert Roughhead shiner Anguilla rostrata (Lesueur) American eel N. spilopterus (Cope) Spotfin shiner N. .vtramineus (Cope) Sand shiner Clupeidae N. teleseopus (Cope) Telescope shiner N. umbratilus (Girard) Redfin shiner A losa chrvsochloris ( Rafinesque) Shipjack herring A'. volueellus (Cope) Mimic shiner A. pseudoharengus (Wilson) Alewife N. whipplei (Girard) Steelcolor shiner Dorosoma cepedianum (Lesueur) Gizzard shad Phenacohius mirabilis (Girard) Suckermouth minnow D. petenense (Gunther) Treadfin shad P. teretulus Cope Kanawha minnow Phoxinus erythrogaster ( Rafinesque Southern redbelly dace Hiodontidae P. oreas (Cope) Mountain redbelly dace Pimephales notatus ( Rafinesque) Bluntnose minnow Hiodon alosoides ( Rafinesque) Goldeye P. promelas Rafinesque Fathead minnow H. tergisus Lesueur Mooneye P. vigilax (Baird and Girard) Bullhead minnow Rhinichthes atratulus ( Hermann ) Blacknose dace Salmonidae R. cataraewe (Valenciennes) Longnose dace Semotilus atromaculatus ( Mitchill) Creek chub Salmo gairdneri Richardson Rainbow trout S. corpora/is ( Mitchill) Fallfish S. trutta Linnaeus Brown trout S. margarita ( Cope) Pearl dace Safre/inusfominalis ( Mitchill ) Brook trout Catostomidae Umbridae Carpiodes carpi° ( Ralinesque) River carpsucker *Umbra limi ( K irtland ) Central mudminnow C. cyprinus (Lesueur) Quillback C. velifer ( Rafinesque) Highfin carpsucker Esocidae Catostomus catostomus ( Forster) Longnose sucker C. commersoni (Lacepede) White sucker Esox americanus Gmelin Grass pickerel *Cycleptus elongatus (Lesueur) Blue sucker E. lucius Linnaeus Northern pike Erimizon oblongus ( M itchill ) Creek chubsucker E. masquihongy M itchill Muskellunge *E. sucetta (Lacepede) Lake chubsucker E. 'tiger Lesueur Chain pickerel H Jpentelium nigricans (Lesueur)) Hog sucker letiobus bubalus ( Ratinesque) Smallmouth buffalo Cyprinidae I. cyprinella (Valenciennes) Bigmouth buffalo I. niger ( Rafinesque) Black buffalo Campostoma anomalum ( Ratinesque) Stoneroller Minctrema melanops ( Ralinesque) Spotted sucker Carussius auratus ( Linnaeus) Goldfish Moxostoma anisurum (Rafinesque) Silver redhorse Clino.vtomus elongatus ( Kirtland) Redside dace M. carinatunt (Cope) River redhorse C. funduloides Girard Rosyside dace * M. eervinutn (Cope) Black jumprock Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus Carp M. duquesnei ( Lesueur) Black redhorse Ericymba huccata Cope Silverjaw minnow M. erythrurum (Rafinesque) Golden redhorse Exoglossum /aurae (H ubbs) Tonguetied minnow M. macrolepidotunt (Lesueur) Shorthead redhorse E. maxillingua (Lesueur) - • Cutlips minnow M. rhothoecum (Thoburn Torrent sucker FISHES OF WEST VIRGINIA 119 letaluridae P. maerocephala ( Cope) Longhead darter P. maculata (Girard) Blackside darter loalurus catus (Linnaeus) White catfish P. not ogramma ( Raney and Hubbs) Stripeback darter I. lurcatus ( Lesueur) Blue catfish P. ay yrhyncha ( Hubbs and Raney) Sharpriose darter . I. melds ( Rafinesque) Black bullhead */) peltata ( Stauffer) Shield darter I. 'mails ( Lesueur) Yellow bullhead P. phoxocephala ( Nelson) Slenderhead darter' I. nebulosav ( Lesueur) Brown bullhead P. sclera (Swain) Dusky darter I. punctatav ( Rafinesque) Channel catfish * P. shumardi (Girard) River darter *Noturu.v eleutherus Jordan Mountain madtom Stizostedium canadense (Smith) Sauger N. jiarus Rafinesque Stonecat S. threw,: ( Mitchill) Walleye N. grrinus Mitchill Tadpole madtom N. Richardson) Margined insignis ( madtom Sciaenidae Jordan Brindled madtom N. miurav . *N. Taylor No madtom stigme.sus A plodinotus grunniens Rafinesque Freshwater drum Pylodictis oliraris (Ralinesque) Flathead catfish Cot tidae Percopsidae . Cortu.s Girard Mottled sculpin Walbaum ) Trout-perch bairdi Pereopsis omiscomayeus ( C. carolinae (Gill) Banded sculpin Richardson Slimy sculpin Cyprinodontidae *C. cognadis Fundulus diaphanus ( Lesueur) Banded killifish Acknowledgments—Our appreciation is extended Atherinidae to members of the West Virginia State Game and Fish Commission, who supported this effort. Recog- Labidesthes .viceulus (Cope) Brook silverside nition is given to Lt. Col. Paul A. Patton of the West Percichthy idae Virginia Law Enforcement Division, and I. S. Lati- mer, Director, West Virginia Department of Natural . Morone ehry.sops ( Rafinesque I Whne bass Resources, who granted permission to collect fishes M. saxatilis ( Walbaum ) Striped bass in West Virginia. Dr. Frank Schwartz provided infor- mation on collections he made in the state. Centrarchidae A tub/op/lies rupestris ( Rafinesque) Rock bass Lepomis atiritos (Linnaeus) Redbreast sunfish Literature Cited Rafinesque Green sunfish L. crane//us. L. gibbovas