Day 1 Thursday April 26th we stopped at 5 sites and were successful in collecting redline darters at 4 of them…
Marrowbone Creek KY
Redline Darter Etheostoma rufilineatum
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
TN Snubnose Darter E. simoterum
Barcheek Darter E. obeyense
Greenside Darter E. blennioides
Headwater Darter E. lawrencei
Whitetail Shiner Cyprinella galactura
Rosefin Shiner Lythrurus ardens
Striped Shiner Luxilus chrysocephalus
Stoneroller sp. Campostoma sp
Notropis sp.
Bluntnose Minnow Pimephales notatus
Central Longear Sunfish Lepomis megalotis
Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu
Northern Hogsucker Hypentelium nigricans
Northern Studfish Fundulus catenatus
Banded Sculpin Cottus carolinae
Crocus Creek KY
Redline Darter Etheostoma rufilineatum
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
Stoneroller sp. Campostoma sp
Rosefin Shiner Lythrurus ardens
Striped Shiner Luxilus chrysocephalus
Bluntnose Minnow Pimephales notatus
Northern Studfish Fundulus catenatus
Banded Sculpin Cottus carolinae
Juvenile trout (brown or rainbow was only about 2” long)
Wolf Creek KY
Headwater Darter E. lawrencei
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
Whitetail Shiner Cyprinella galactura
Stoneroller sp. Campostoma sp
Rosefin Shiner Lythrurus ardens
Striped Shiner Luxilus chrysocephalus
Bluntnose Minnow Pimephales notatus
Northern Hogsucker Hypentelium nigricans
Northern Studfish Fundulus catenatus
Fishing Creek KY
Redline Darter Etheostoma rufilineatum
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
TN Snubnose Darter E. simoterum
Greenside Darter E. blennioides
Log Perch Percina caprodes
Stoneroller sp. Campostoma sp
Rosefin Shiner Lythrurus ardens
Notropis sp.
Stonecat Madtom Noturus flavus
Northern Studfish Fundulus catenatus
Banded Sculpin Cottus carolinae
Rock Bass Ambloplites rupestris
Black Redhorse Moxostoma duquesnei
Pitman Creek KY (very short stop due to the oncoming thunderstorm)
Redline Darter Etheostoma rufilineatum
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
Day 2 Friday April 27th Justin and I split off from the two others (his advisor and another student) and we were able to work quickly together and made it to 8 sites but only found redline darters at 4 of them.
Beaver Creek KY
Greenside Darter E. blennioides
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
Stoneroller sp. Campostoma sp
Rock Bass Ambloplites rupestris
Otter Creek KY
Redline Darter Etheostoma rufilineatum
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
Greenside Darter E. blennioides
Notropis sp. (pictured below id for me if you can)
Stonecat Madtom Noturus flavus
Northern Studfish Fundulus catenatus
Banded Sculpin Cottus carolinae
Wolf River TN
Redline Darter Etheostoma rufilineatum
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
Greenside Darter E. blennioides
Fantail Darter E. flabellare
Largescale Stoneroller Campostoma oligolepis (large male pictured below)
Bluntnose Minnow Pimephales notatus
Banded Sculpin Cottus carolinae
Rock Bass Ambloplites rupestris
Central Longear Sunfish Lepomis megalotis
Northern Hogsucker Hypentelium nigricans
East Fork of the Obey River TN
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
Greenside Darter E. blennioides
Ashy Darter E. cinereum
Spotted Bass Micropterus punctatus
Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu
Rock Bass Ambloplites rupestris
Banded Sculpin Cottus carolinae
Northern Studfish Fundulus catenatus
Rosefin Shiner Lythrurus ardens
Notropis sp.
Big Indian Creek TN
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
Log Perch Percina caprodes
Stoneroller sp. Campostoma sp
West Fork Obey River TN
Redline Darter Etheostoma rufilineatum
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
TN Snubnose Darter E. simoterum
Barcheek Darter E. obeyense
Log Perch Percina caprodes
Stoneroller sp. Campostoma sp
Notropis sp.
Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu
Rock Bass Ambloplites rupestris
Banded Sculpin Cottus carolinae
Northern Hogsucker Hypentelium nigricans
Stonecat Madtom Noturus flavus
Roaring River TN
Redline Darter Etheostoma rufilineatum
Greenside Darter E. blennioides
Stoneroller sp. Campostoma sp
Stonecat Madtom Noturus flavus
Redeye Bass Micropterus coosae (no where near where they naturally occur so this must be an introduced population)
Spring Creek TN
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
Greenside Darter E. blennioides
Banded Sculpin Cottus carolinae
Stoneroller sp. Campostoma sp
Notropis sp.
Also being the last site of the day with 30 minutes of daylight left I took out the spinning rod and added…
Redeye Bass Micropterus coosae (again well outside native range)
Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu
Rock Bass Ambloplites rupestris
Day 3 Saturday April 28th. Again the group split for the first site because the other two had some more crayfish to collect and them we rejoined for the rest of the day.
Blackburn Fork Roaring River TN
Redline Darter Etheostoma rufilineatum
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
TN Snubnose Darter E. simoterum
Stoneroller sp. Campostoma sp
Notropis sp.
Striped Shiner Luxilus chrysocephalus
Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu
Rock Bass Ambloplites rupestris
Banded Sculpin Cottus carolinae
Northern Hogsucker Hypentelium nigricans
Northern Studfish Fundulus catenatus
Smith Fork of the Caney River TN
Redline Darter Etheostoma rufilineatum
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
TN Snubnose Darter E. simoterum
Fantail Darter E. flabellare
Banded Sculpin Cottus carolinae
Stoneroller sp. Campostoma sp
Notropis sp.
Bluntnose Minnow Pimephales notatus
Northern Studfish Fundulus catenatus
Blackstriped Topminnow Fundulus notatus
Central Longear Sunfish Lepomis megalotis
Spotted Bass Micropterus punctatus
Lamprey sp. (pictures below id if you can please)
Harpeth River TN
Redline Darter Etheostoma rufilineatum
TN Snubnose Darter E. simoterum
Fantail Darter E. flabellare
Striped Darter E. virgatum
Fringed Darter E. crossopterum
Greenside Darter E. blennioides
Stoneroller sp. Campostoma sp
Notropis sp.
Striped Shiner Luxilus chrysocephalus
Redfin Shiner Lythrurus umbratilis
Banded Sculpin Cottus carolinae
Warmouth Lepomis gulosus
Green Sunfish Lepomis cyanellus
Central Longear Sunfish Lepomis megalotis
Blackspotted Topminnow Fundulus olivaceus
Stonecat Madtom Noturus flavus
Duck River TN (very limited access point due to deep and very fast water below a dam in Columbia, also only had 30 minutes of daylight and still 10 darter species, I hope to return some day)
Redline Darter Etheostoma rufilineatum
Fantail Darter E. flabellare
Greenside Darter E. blennioides
Coppercheek Darter E. aquali
Golden Darter E. denoncourti
Speckled Darter E. stigmaeum
Banded Darter E. zonale
Log Perch Percina caprodes
Gilt Darter Percina evides
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
Stoneroller sp. Campostoma sp
Notropis sp.
Bullhead Minnow Pimephales vigilax
Fathead Minnow Pimephales promelas
Steelcolor Shiner Cyprinella whipplei
Central Longear Sunfish Lepomis megalotis
Day 4, April 29th one last site before the long drive back to northern Ohio…
Piney River TN
Redline Darter Etheostoma rufilineatum
Greenside Darter E. blennioides
Rainbow Darter E. caeruleum
Blenny Daryer E. blennius
TN Snubnose Darter E. simoterum
Safron Darter E. flavum (pictured below can someone confirm my ID on this one)
Creek Chub Semotilus atromaculatus
Stoneroller sp. Campostoma sp
Notropis sp. I think telescope shiner
Notropis sp. I think roseyface shiner
Bluntnose Minnow Pimephales notatus
Striped Shiner Luxilus chrysocephalus
Roseyside Dace Clinostomus funduloides
Northern Studfish Fundulus catenatus
Fundulus sp. (couldn’t catch them either notatus or olivaceus)
Central Longear Sunfish Lepomis megalotis
Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu
Rock Bass Ambloplites rupestris
Banded Sculpin Cottus carolinae
Mosquitofish Gambusia affinis
The three from St. Louis hit one more site before they headed back as well. It was a great trip to some beautiful streams some of which I hope to return to when I can spend more than an hour at each targeting one specific species and then quickly taking pictures and going to the next. Pictures to follow...

Ashy darter

Blenny Darter

Female Barcheek Darter

Female Black Redhorse

Female Coppercheek Darter

Female Redline Darter

Female Redline Darter

Female Striped Darter

Female TN Snubnose Darter

Fringed Darter




If someone can ID this lamprey please do...

Male Barcheek Darter