Range expansions and new drainage records for select Illinois fishes

Abstract

Fish surveys by university and natural resource agency staff and fish hobbyists in Illinois, and the acquisition of the former Northern Illinois University fish collection by the Illinois Natural History Survey, have documented significant new voucher records for 21 fish species in the state. We herein report on those records.

Full text

Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science
(2015) Volume 108, pp. 47-52
received 4/30/15
accepted 7/16/15
Range Expansions and New Drainage Records for Select Illinois Fishes
Jeremy S. Tiemann1*, Christopher A. Taylor1, Dan Wylie1, Jim Lamer2, Phil W. Willink3, Frank M. Veraldi4,
Steven M. Pescitelli5, Ben Lubinski6, Trent omas7, Randy Sauer8, and Ben Cantrell9
1Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, 1816 South Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820
2Department of Biological Sciences, Western Illinois University, 372 Waggoner Hall, 1 University Circle, Macomb, IL 61455
3Shedd Aquarium, 1200 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605
4U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 231 South LaSalle Street, Suite 1500, Chicago, IL 60604
5Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fisheries, 5931 Fox River Road, Plano, IL 60545
6Illinois Natural History Survey, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, One Conuence Way, East Alton, IL 62024
7Illinois Department of Natural Resources, 301 S. Date Street, Gibson City, IL 60936
8Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Address Eldon Hazlet State Park, 20100 Hazlet Park Road, Carlyle, IL 62231
9North American Native Fishes Association, Peoria, IL 61614
*Correspondence: jtiemann@illinois.edu
ABSTRACT
Fish surveys by university and natural resource agency sta and sh hobbyists in Illinois, and the acquisition of the former Northern
Illinois University sh collection by the Illinois Natural History Survey, have documented signicant new voucher records for 21 sh
species in the state. We herein report on those records.
INTRODUCTION
Illinois is home to 192 native sh species
(Burr and Page 2009; Tiemann and Sa-
baj-Perez 2012). Of those, ten are consid-
ered extirpated (although the Illinois De-
partment of Natural Resources stocked the
Alligator Gar, Atractosteus spatula, into the
Illinois River drainage), one is federally-en-
dangered, 18 others are state-endangered,
and 16 are state-threatened (Burr and Page
2009; IESPB 2015). A list of updated sh
distribution records can assist natural re-
source agencies in management decisions,
and can be achieved by publishing updated
records of select shes (e.g., Burr et al. 1988;
Savitz et al. 1990; Burr et al. 1996; Page and
Retzer 2002; Tiemann et al. 2004).
METHODS
Museum specimens and eld notes of Illi-
nois shes were compared to published lit-
erature (e.g., Smith 1979; Burr et al. 1988;
Burr et al. 1996; Page and Retzer 2002;
Retzer 2005). We included those species
previously listed as extirpated in Illinois,
those that had not been previously list-
ed as extant in a particular drainage, and
those that had been listed as extirpated in
a specic drainage. Records are based on
specimens deposited in the Illinois Natu-
ral History Survey (INHS) Fish Collection,
Champaign (which includes the former
Northern Illinois University Fish Collec-
tion, DeKalb, and the former Southern
Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC)
Fish Collection), or documented with pho-
tographs that are housed at INHS. Species
accounts include catalogue number (if as-
signed), locality, date, and number of speci-
mens, and are organized within the general
phylogenetic scheme presented by Page et
al. (2013).
SPECIES ACCOUNTS
Lepisosteus oculatus Winchell, Spotted
Ga r. e Spotted Gar occurs in clear pools
with abundant vegetation in streams, lakes,
and swamps in lowland areas in southern
Illinois and along the Illinois River near
Havana, Mason County (Smith 1979). It
has never been documented in the upper
Illinois River drainage (e.g., Smith 1979).
Updated record: North Shore Channel
(Chicago River – Des Plaines River drain-
age), Chicago, near Pratt Avenue, Cook
County, 24 September 2014, one individual
collected and returned alive (photo vouch-
er).
Anguilla rostrata (Lesueur) American
Eel. e American Eel occurs sporadi-
cally throughout Illinois in large streams,
and occurs in deep pools with mud sub-
strates (Smith 1979). Its distribution has
been reduced by impoundments (Smith
1979; Slawski et al. 2008), and it is listed as
state-threatened in Illinois (IESPB 2015).
e American Eel was considered extir-
pated from the Des Plaines River drainage
(Slawski et al. 2008).
Updated records: Tampier Lake (Des
Plaines River drainage), Orland Park, Cook
County, July 2014 (no date given), one indi-
vidual collected and returned alive (photo
voucher). Lockport Pool of the Chicago
Area Waterway System, Lockport, Cook
County, 1 April 2013, one individual col-
lected and returned alive (photo voucher).
Des Plaines River, Willow Springs, Colum-
bia Woods Forest Preserve, Cook County,
24 May 2015, one individual caught and
returned alive (photo voucher).
Hybognathus nuchalis Agassiz, Mississip-
pi Silvery Minnow. e Mississippi Silvery
Minnow is almost statewide in distribu-
tion, but is rare in the northeastern corner
of Illinois (Smith 1979). It occurs in large
streams with clear water and sandy bottoms
(Smith 1979). e range of the Mississippi
Silvery Minnow has declined due to desic-
cation during drought periods eliminating
its preferred habitat (Smith 1971). Retzer
(2005) considered the minnow extirpated
from the upper Rock River drainage.
Updated record: INHS 102524, Rock Riv-
er, Sterling, 12th Avenue bridge, Whiteside
County, 21 August 2008, seven individuals.
Hybopsis amnis (Hubbs and Green), Pal-
lid Shiner. Once found throughout Illinois,
the Pallid Shiner is now known from three
regions in Illinois: lower Kankakee River

in Will County, Illinois River in Grundy
County, and Mississippi River in Rock Is-
land County (Warren and Burr 1988; Page
and Retzer 2002). It prefers pools of larger
rivers with sand or silt substrates (Page and
Retzer 2002; Willink and Veraldi 2009).
Jelks et al. (2011) listed the Pallid Shiner as
“Vulnerable” (=in imminent danger of be-
coming threatened throughout all or a sig-
nicant portion of its range) due to destruc-
tion, modication, or reduction of habitat.
It is state-endangered in Illinois (IESPB
2015). Much of the Pallid Shiner’s pre-
ferred habitat has been eliminated through
siltation, pollution, channelization, and
impoundments (Smith 1971; Smith 1979;
Warren and Burr 1988; Page and Retzer
2002). e shiner was collected in the Des
Plaines River drainage near Berwyn, Cook
County, in 1900 (Warren and Burr 1988);
however, it has not been reported in the
drainage since (e.g., Page and Retzer 2002;
Retzer and Batten 2005; Willink and Ver-
aldi 2009) and was considered extirpated
(Slawski et al. 2008).
Updated record: INHS 105381, Des Plaines
River, 1.5 mi SE Channahon, I-55 bridge,
Will County, 12 July 2012, one individual.
Rhinichthys cataractae (Valenciennes),
Longnose Dace. In Illinois, the Longnose
Dace occurs along the pebble beaches of
Lake Michigan and in several gravelly, boul-
der-strewn streams in the northwestern
corner of the state (Smith 1979). Tiemann
et al. (2012) examined the distribution of
the dace in the Wisconsin Driless Area
in Illinois and failed to nd evidence of it
in the Apple River drainage. Never com-
mon in Illinois, the species is threatened
by unrestricted livestock access, removal of
riparian areas, and nutrient enrichment of
streams (Tiemann et al. 2012).
Updated record: INHS 106531, Apple Riv-
er, Hanover, downstream of the lowhead
dam, Jo Davies County, 25 September
1976, one individual (specimen formerly in
the Northern Illinois University sh collec-
tion).
Cycleptus elongatus (Lesueur), Blue Suck-
er. In Illinois, the Blue Sucker is sporad-
ic in the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and
lower reaches of their major tributaries
(Smith 1965), and in high abundance in
the Wabash River (Broadway et al. 2015).
Range Expansions and New Drainage Records for Select Illinois Fishes
Tiemann, Taylor, Wylie, Lamer, Willink, Veraldi, Pescitelli, Lubinski, omas, Sauer, and Cantrell
48
Jelks et al. (2011) listed the sucker as “Vul-
nerable” due to destruction, modication,
or reduction of its habitat, as well as other
natural or anthropogenic factors that jeop-
ardize its existence. is large river species
is oen collected in swi water over rocky
substrates, but has been declining in abun-
dance in Illinois for decades due, in part, to
dams on navigable rivers (Smith 1979; Burr
et al. 1996). e Blue Sucker has not been
reported from the Embarras River drainage
(e.g., Smith 1971; Smith 1979).
Updated records: INHS 64198, Embarras
River, 2.5 mi SE Charleston, Illinois Route
130, Coles County, 12 July 1988, one in-
dividual. INHS 94462, Embarras River,
Lawrenceville, Illinois Route 1, Lawrence
County, 15 July 1997, one individual.
Ictiobus niger (Ranesque), Black Bua-
lo. e Black Bualo occurs sporadically
in most parts of the state in medium- and
large-sized rivers and their marginal lakes
(Smith 1979). Smith (1979) considered it
extirpated in Lake Michigan. Savitz et al.
(1996) failed to collect the Black Bualo
during their work of Lake Michigan har-
bors, and Retzer and Batten (2005) did not
report it from the Lake Michigan drainage.
Updated records: Lake Michigan, Chicago,
Northerly Island, Cook County, 24 October
2014, 20 individuals (photo voucher).
Minytrema melanops (Ranesque), Spot-
ted Sucker. e Spotted Sucker is sporad-
ically distributed in clear, rm-bottomed
creeks and small rivers across most of Illi-
nois (Smith 1979). It is less widespread and
common than formerly distributed, prob-
ably due to siltation (Smith 1979). Smith
(1979) doubted the occurrence of the Spot-
ted Sucker in northeastern Illinois, and did
not report it from the upper Rock River
drainage (e.g., Pecatonica River drainage).
Mullen (1992) did not report the suck-
er from Winnebago County, and Becker
(1983) did not include it from the upper
Rock River drainage in Wisconsin.
Updated records: INHS 43401, East Fork
Raccoon Creek (Pecatonica River drain-
age), 4.2 mi NE Shirland, Winnebago
County, 2 November 1997, one individual.
INHS 53026, unnamed tributary to Peca-
tonica River, Shirland, Winnebago Coun-
ty, 5 October 1999, one individual. INHS
53168, Dry Creek (Rock River drainage), 2
mi SE Rockton, Winnebago County, 4 Oc-
tober 1999, one individual.
Labidesthes sicculus (Cope), Brook Sil-
verside. e Brook Silverside occurs state-
wide, but is usually associated with large
rivers in marginal areas and clear, quiet
backwaters (Smith 1979). Its range has
declined because excessive siltation has de-
graded its preferred habitat (Smith 1979).
Retzer (2005) considered the Brook Silver-
side extirpated from the Vermilion River
drainage (Wabash River drainage).
Updated records: INHS Fish Collection
has 17 lots, most with multiple specimens,
from the Vermilion River drainage (Wa-
bash River drainage) since 1990, including
three lots from the Salt Fork, ve lots from
the Middle Fork, three lots from the North
Fork, and four lots from the Vermilion Riv-
er mainstem.
Fundulus catenatus (Storer), Northern
Studsh. e Northern Studsh occurs
in shallow margins of pools in clear, mod-
erate to high gradient streams of all sizes
with permanent ow and silt-free sand
and gravel substrates (Peiger 1995). It has
been recorded from only one location in
Illinois: the Mississippi River at river mile
48 in Alexander County (Heidinger 1974).
According to Peiger (1995), the Northern
Studsh is somewhat tolerant of stream
disturbances, including channelization, de-
stabilization of the riparian corridor, and
overgrazing.
Updated record: SIUC 72781, West Fork
Richland Creek (Kaskaskia River drainage),
3 mi. N of Hecker, Skaer Road, St. Clair
County, 10 July 2007, one individual.
Remarks: is specimen represents the rst
record of Northern Studsh from an inte-
rior Illinois stream. e 3-inch specimen
is likely an immature female as adults are
documented over 6 inches in length (Pei-
ger 1995). It is unknown whether the sh
was a bait bucket / aquarium release, or
from an undocumented native population.
Further sampling in West Fork Richland
Creek and other Kaskaskia tributaries has
not yielded additional specimens.
Fundulus diaphanus (Lesueur), Banded
Killish. e Banded Killish occurs in
clear, vegetated, glacial lakes in Lake and
Cook counties, Illinois, but also formerly

Range Expansions and New Drainage Records for Select Illinois Fishes
Tiemann, Taylor, Wylie, Lamer, Willink, Veraldi, Pescitelli, Lubinski, omas, Sauer, and Cantrell
49
occurred in McHenry and McLean coun-
ties (Smith 1979). Destruction and gen-
eral deterioration of natural lakes are re-
sponsible for its decline in the state (Smith
1979). e Banded Killish is state-threat-
ened in Illinois (IESPB 2015). Rivera et al.
(2013) reported two individuals from Mill
Creek (Rock River drainage) in Rock Is-
land County, which is the rst record from
western Illinois. e Banded Killish has
not been reported from the Illinois portion
of the Mississippi River (e.g., Steuck et al.
2010).
Updated records: INHS 106490, Coon
Creek (Rock River drainage), Prophet-
stown, Starr Road, Whiteside County, 22
July 2013, seven individuals collected (two
preserved). INHS 106939, Mississippi Riv-
er, Pool 19, 1.3 mi SSE Nauvoo, in Nauvoo
Flats, Hancock County, 1 July 2013, ve in-
dividuals collected (two preserved). INHS
106940, Mississippi River, Pool 20, 1.9 mi
NE Warsaw, side channel at head of Mud
Island, Hancock County, 29 July 2013, one
individual collected. Sandy Creek (Illinois
River drainage), 1 mi SE Henry, Putnam
County, 22 March 2015, one individual col-
lected and returned alive (photo voucher)
Aphredoderus sayanus (Gilliams), Pirate
Perch. e Pirate Perch is oen collect-
ed in swamps and muck-bottom pools of
low-gradient streams in the southern half
of Illinois, but has a few scattered pop-
ulations in the northern half of the state
(Smith 1979). Smith (1979) suggested the
sh does not occur west of the Illinois Riv-
er, but Steuck et al. (2010) reported it as
occurring in Pool 19 “at some time in the
distant past.”
Updated record: INHS 94247, Mississip-
pi River, Pool 19, in Blackhawk Bottoms,
a contiguous backwater 0.25 mi north of
the Skunk River conuence, Des Moines
County, Iowa, 30 July 2014, one individual
collected
Cottus bairdii Girard, Mottled Sculpin. In
Illinois, the Mottled Sculpin occurs along
the shoreline of Lake Michigan, as well as
in springs, spring-fed seeps, and clear, swi
creeks in the northeastern portion of the
state (Smith 1979). Smith (1979) reported
its habitats are rapidly being destroyed by
stream alterations but did not provide spe-
cic causes. Retzer (2005) considered the
Mottled Sculpin extirpated from the Des
Plaines River drainage, and absent in the
Vermilion River drainage (Wabash River
drainage).
Updated records: INHS 53886, Black Par-
tridge Creek (Des Plaines River drainage),
2.2 km NW Lemont, Blu Road, Cook
County, 28 Oct 1999, two individuals.
INHS 68040, Willow Creek (Vermilion Riv-
er drainage), Forest Glen County Preserve,
Vermilion County, 7 November 1984, one
individual. INHS 101099, Whippoorwill
Branch (Vermilion River drainage), 4 mi
E Georgetown, County Road 2100E, Ver-
milion County, 13 June 2006, 15 individu-
als. INHS 105827, Grape Creek (Vermilion
River drainage), 2.4 mi NE Westville, Twin
Hills Road, Vermilion County, 15 August
2011, two individuals.
Morone chrysops (Ranesque), White
Bass. e White Bass occurs in schools in
large and medium-sized rivers, oodplain
lakes, and large reservoirs with clear water
and rm substrates, but is absent in most
of the smaller streams within the interior of
the state (Smith 1979). Retzer (2005) con-
sidered it extirpated from the Des Plaines
River drainage.
Updated record: INHS 97339, Chicago
Sanitary & Ship Canal (Des Plaines Riv-
er drainage), Lockport, 16th Street, Will
County, 2 November 1999, one individual.
Lepomis humilis (Girard), Orange Spot-
ted Sunsh. e Orange Spotted Sun-
sh occurs statewide in almost all habitat
types except swily owing streams (Smith
1979). Smith (1968) reported the species to
be declining in the Wabash River drainage
(e.g., Vermilion and Embarras rivers), and
Retzer (2005) considered it extirpated from
the Vermilion River drainage.
Updated records: INHS 46506, Middle
Fork Vermilion River, 2.5 mi ENE Colli-
son, County Road 2600N ford, Vermilion
River, 22 May 1998, two individuals. INHS
56460, Wall Town Drainage Ditch (Middle
Fork Vermilion River drainage), 2 mi WSW
Roberts, County Road 1400N bridge, Ford
County, 25 July 2000, three individuals.
INHS 95841, Middle Fork Vermilion Riv-
er, 4 mi N Peneld, County Road 3500N
bridge, Champaign County, 14 August
2001, one individual. INHS 96510, Blue-
grass Creek (Middle Fork Vermilion Riv-
er drainage), 1.25 mi N Potomac, County
Road 3175N bridge, Vermilion County, 27
August 2001, one individual.
Crystallaria asprella (Jordan), Crystal
Darter. Jordan (1878), Forbes and Rich-
ardson (1920), and Smith (1979) report-
ed the Crystal Darter from the following
locations in Illinois: a rocky creek of the
Mississippi blus in Hancock County (type
locality); Mississippi River at East Dubuque
in Jo Daviess County; Rock River at Erie
in Whiteside County, Cleveland in Henry
County, and Milan in Rock Island County;
Little Wabash at Engham in Engham
County; and Wabash River near Vincennes
in Knox County, Indiana, and New Harmo-
ny in Posey County, Indiana. e darter is
particularly vulnerable to habitat altering
activities such as channelization, dredging,
and impoundment (Page 1983). Its distri-
bution has been substantially reduced in ar-
eas of human overdevelopment and it now
is absent in large areas where it formerly oc-
curred (Page 1983). Jelks et al. (2011) list-
ed the Crystal Darter as “Vulnerable” due
to destruction, modication, or reduction
of habitat. e darter was considered ex-
tirpated in Illinois (Smith 1979). However,
eldwork conducted over the past 15 years
has shown that the Crystal Darter is extant
but rare in the Mississippi River bordering
Illinois. One Crystal Darter was collected
from a side channel of the river between
river miles 77.7 and 79.5, Union County,
on 6 June 1998, and another individual was
collected from the river at Picayne Chute,
Alexander County, on 9 June 2004 (Stewart
et al. 2005).
Updated records: INHS 102953, Mississippi
River, 3 miles N Cordova, river mile 506.5,
Rock Island County, 8 October 2009, one
individual. INHS 106605, Mississippi Riv-
er, 5 mi W Columbia, river mile 165, Mon-
roe County, 11 July 2013, one individual.
Additionally, the Missouri Department
of Conservation (MDC) reported collect-
ing two individuals from the Mississippi
River between Missouri and Illinois in re-
cent years (Dave Herzog, MDC, personal
communication): one specimen from river
mile 48, across from Alexander County on
10 June 2010, and one from river mile 78,
across from Union County on 3 April 2009.
Remarks: Six specimens captured in a 450

mile stretch of the Mississippi River along
Illinois’ border in the past 15 years strongly
suggests that these individuals are not waifs
from tributary populations (e.g., Meramec
River in Missouri or Wisconsin River in
Wisconsin). e likelihood of capturing
those few waif individuals is extremely low
given the species’ low detectability. Rather,
it is likely that the Crystal Darter persists at
some unknown level in the Mississippi Riv-
er along the Illinois border.
Etheostoma asprigene (Forbes), Mud
Darter. e Mud Darter commonly in-
habits bottomland lakes, sloughs, oxbows,
and quiet areas of large streams throughout
most of the state (Cummings et al. 1984).
It was documented in the Pecatonica River
(Rock River drainage) before 1908 and in
the Sugar River (Pecatonica River – Rock
River drainage) in Wisconsin in the 1930s,
but has not been documented since (Smith
1979; Becker 1983; Mullen 1992). With-
in the last century, the range of the Mud
Darter has been reduced due to desiccation
during drought periods eliminating its pre-
ferred habitat (Smith 1968; Smith 1971).
Retzer (2005) considered the darter extir-
pated from the Salt Creek basin (Sangam-
on River drainage) and absent in the upper
Rock River drainage.
Updated records: INHS 52387, Salt Creek
(Sangamon River drainage), 3 mi S Clin-
ton, U.S. Highway 51, DeWitt County, 21
September 1999, nine individuals. INHS
102125, Coon Creek (Rock River drain-
age), Prophetstown, Starr Road, Whiteside
County, 19 August 2008, three individuals.
Etheostoma exile (Girard), Iowa Darter.
e Iowa Darter occurs in clear, well-veg-
etated lakes, sloughs, and low gradient
streams in northern Illinois (Smith 1979;
Burr and Stewart 2003). It is state-threat-
ened in Illinois (IESPB 2015). Much of the
Iowa Darter’s preferred habitat has been
eliminated through drainage of natural
lakes, sloughs, and marshes (Smith 1971).
Retzer (2005) considered the Iowa Dart-
er extirpated from the Des Plaines River
drainage.
Updated records: INHS 50999, Mill Creek
(Des Plaines River drainage), 1.5 mi SW
Wadsworth, Dilleys Road, Lake County,
26 May 1999, one individual. INHS 98812,
unnamed tributary of the Des Plaines Riv-
er, 3 mi N Libertyville, junction of Illinois
Route 120 and Illinois Route 21, Lake
County, 27 August 2004, one individual.
INHS 104652, Middle Fork North Branch
Chicago River, 1.1 mi NE Deereld, Deer-
eld High School, Lake County, 16 Au-
gust 2011, one individual. INHS 108290,
unnamed tributary of the North Branch
Chicago River, Lake Middlefork Savanna
County Forest Preserve at railroad crossing,
Lake Forest, Lake County, 17 June 2015,
two individuals. North Branch Chicago
River, Middlefork Savanna County Forest
Preserve at railroad crossing, Lake Forest,
Lake County, 18 June 2015, 42 individuals
(none vouchered). INHS 108291, North
Branch Chicago River, Rondout at railroad
crossing, Lake County, 17 June 2015, 11 in-
dividuals. INHS 108332, North Mill Creek
(Des Plaines River drainage), 5 mi N Lin-
denhurst, Edwards Road, Lake County, 15
July 2015, one individual.
Etheostoma microperca Jordan and Gil-
bert, Least Darter. e Least Darter oc-
curs in the shallow margins of heavily vege-
tated, low-gradient water bodies, including
small to large streams and natural lakes in
northeastern Illinois (Burr and Page 1979).
According to Smith (1979), there is no clear
evidence of reduction in the distribution or
abundance of the species in Illinois. How-
ever, Retzer (2005) considered the Least
Darter extirpated in the Des Plaines River
drainage.
Updated record: INHS 42871, unnamed
tributary of the DuPage River (Des Plaines
River drainage), 1 mi N Plaineld, Illinois
Route 59, Will County, 15 September 1997,
six individuals.
Percina maculata (Girard), Blackside
Darter. e Blackside Darter is most abun-
dant in rm-bottomed pools of creeks and
small rivers, and is more generally distrib-
uted in the eastern half of Illinois than in
the western part (Smith 1979). It has ex-
perienced considerable decline in Illinois
during the past several decades (Smith
1979). According to Steuck et al. (2010),
the Blackside Darter occurred in Pool 19
“at some time in the distant past,” but has
not been reported from the Illinois portion
of the Mississippi River (e.g., Smith 1971;
Smith 1979).
Updated record: INHS 108152, Mississippi
Range Expansions and New Drainage Records for Select Illinois Fishes
Tiemann, Taylor, Wylie, Lamer, Willink, Veraldi, Pescitelli, Lubinski, omas, Sauer, and Cantrell
50
River, Alton, just downstream of the U.S.
Highway 67 bridge near Ellis Island, Mad-
ison County, 6 September 2013, one indi-
vidual.
Percina shumardi (Girard), River Darter.
In Illinois, the River Darter is generally dis-
tributed in the Mississippi River and lower
reaches of its tributaries, and is sporadic
in the Illinois, Ohio, and Wabash rivers
(Smith 1965). It inhabits large streams over
mixed sand and gravel in areas with mod-
erate current (Smith 1979). According to
omas (1979), the River Darter occurred
in the Kaskaskia River exclusively down-
stream from New Athens, St. Clair County,
and was extirpated from the Carlyle (Clin-
ton County) and Vandalia (Fayette County)
areas. e species was considered extirpat-
ed from the lower Kaskaskia River by Smith
(1979) and upper Kaskaskia River drainage
by Retzer (2005).
Updated record: INHS 98726, Kaskaskia
River, Shelbyville, below Shelbyville Dam,
Shelby County, 28 April 2004, one individ-
ual.
DISCUSSION
Several of the species mentioned in this pa-
per are not commonly encountered in Illi-
nois, potentially as a result of being rare in
Illinois and dicult to collect, not sampling
their preferred habitats with proper gear,
or misidentifying specimens. Small-bod-
ied benthic shes that occur in wide, deep
rivers, such as the Crystal Darter, Mud
Darter, and River Darter, are more di-
cult to capture with traditional gear types
than larger shes (Smith 1979; Stewart et
al. 2005). ey are more tolerant of elec-
trical gradient elds and/or stay submerged
when electroshocked, and their small body
size makes them immune to capture with
mesh sizes most commonly used in most
hoop or gill nets. Other species, such as
the Blue Sucker, are dicult to collect be-
cause their preferred habitat (e.g., deep
channels) makes it challenging to survey
(Smith 1979). Some shes, such as the
Banded Killish or Iowa Darter, oen go
unnoticed because their preferred habitats
are infrequently sampled. e Iowa Darter,
for example, can be routinely collected in
small (<10 feet wide and <6 inches deep),
intermittent, headwater streams through-

out the Kishwaukee River drainage with a
dip-net (J.S. Tiemann, unpublished data),
which are areas not normally sampled and
methods not generally utilized by natural
resource agencies. Other species, such as
the Least Darter, are oen overlooked or
misidentied because of their small sizes
(Smith 1979).
Continued sampling, especially targeted
surveys (e.g., sampling specic habitats
with particular gears), and vouchering
specimens will provide important infor-
mation on species distributions and natu-
ral history that can be used to promote the
understanding, conservation, and manage-
ment of these organisms and their habitats.
Resulting data will aid natural resource
managers in decisions to downgrade or del-
ist certain species, and are useful in identi-
fying areas with unique habitats that can be
prioritized for protection.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Partial support for eldwork was provid-
ed by the Illinois Department of Trans-
portation, the Illinois State Toll Highway
Authority, and the Long-term Fish Pop-
ulation Monitoring Program (F-101-R),
which is supported by the Federal Aid in
Sport Fish Restoration Act (P.L. 81-6814,
Dingell-Johnson/Wallop-Breaux). C. An-
derson (WIU), B.M. Burr (SIUC), S. Butler
(INHS), D.A. Carney (IDNR), K.S. Cum-
mings (INHS), S.G. Dennison (Metropoli-
tan Water Reclamation District of Greater
Chicago), M.J. Dreslik (INHS), E. Gittinger
(INHS), D.W. Greeneld (Northern Illi-
nois University), J. Haas (Exelon Corpora-
tion), R. Haun (WIU), D. Herzog (MDC),
F. Jakubicek (IDNR), A.R. Kuhns (INHS),
E. Lamp (WIU), M. Mounce (IDNR),
L.M. Page (INHS), C.A. Phillips (INHS),
E. Ratcli (INHS), K. Rivera (IDNR), M.H.
Sabaj (INHS), J.L. Sherwood (INHS), A.J.
Stites (INHS), S.J. Baker-Wylie (INHS),
and others assisted in eldwork, shared
their records, and deposited specimens at
INHS. C.A. Mayer (INHS) and R.M. Vin-
sel (INHS) assisted with the curation of
specimens. C. Feng, B. Tiemann, and three
anonymous reviewers oered constructive
criticism to improve this manuscript.
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