The Zoogeography of the Fishes of the Youghiogheny River System, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia

Abstract

A total of 266 fish collections were made at 172 stations in the Youghiogheny River drainage, the largest tributary to the Monongahela River. Collections were made using seines, electrofishing gear, gill nets and trap nets. A comprehensive literature review yielded 99 species of fishes reported from the Youghiogheny River system. Six species collected during this survey (Amia calva, Carassius auratus, Ericymba buccata, Notropis rubellus, Ictalurus catus and Fundulus diaphanus) established new distributional records for the system, increasing the total to 105 species. Of this total, 78 species were verified either by our collections (57 species), museum records (10) or stocking records (11), whereas 27 could not be verified. Of the 27 unverified species, 21 are expected to occur and six are considered misidentifications or erroneous records. An additional 24 species are expected to have occurred historically in the Youghiogheny or have the potential to do so based on their distribution in the Monongahela or Allegheny rivers. Of the 78 species of fishes confirmed to have occurred in the Youghiogheny River, 57 were collected during this survey, 11 were unsuccessful introductions and nine have probably been extirpated. One species, Esox masquinongy, is considered extant, but was not collected during this study. The ichthyofauna of the Youghiogheny River system was largely derived from Teays River by dispersal up the newly formed Ohio River after the onset of Pleistocene glaciation. Two species, Clinostomus elongatus and Catostomus catostomus, dispersed into the Youghiogheny from the N during the Pleistocene. Rhinichthys atratulus atratulus dispersed into the Youghiogheny from Potomac River via stream capture. Several species, (Jampostoma a. anomalum, Ericymba buccata, Nocomis micropogon, Notropis spilopterus and Etheostoma b. blennioides, may have used Youghiogheny-Potomac stream captures as a dispersal route eastward into the Atlantic slope.