Taxonomic and distributional status of Notropis volucellus 


Hrabik, R.  1996.  Taxonomic and distributional status of
Notropis volucellus and Notropis wickliffi in the Mississippi
River drainage:  A literature review.  National Biological
Service, Environmental Management Technical Center, Onalaska,
Wisconsin, July 1996.  LTRMP 96-S001.  15 pp.


ABSTRACT

Notropis volucellus was described in 1864 and underwent a
confusing taxonomic synonymy with Notropis blennius.  By the
1930s, N. volucellus was recognized as a full species with three
subspecies.  The subspecies N. v. wickliffi was described in 1931
but was not generally recognized as a full species until 1991. 
Notropis volucellus is widely distributed in the Mississippi
River drainage, where it may be found in large creeks and rivers. 
Notropis wickliffi inhabits large Midwestern rivers from
Louisiana to Wisconsin to Pennsylvania.  In the Upper Mississippi
River, N. volucellus and N. wickliffi occur sympatrically. 
Biologists with the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP)
initially identified N. wickliffi as N. volucellus.  I began
examining LTRMP voucher specimens in 1991 and determined that
specimens from Pool 13 to the Mississippi River s confluence with
the Ohio River identified as N. volucellus were actually N.
wickliffi.  Above Pool 13, cursory separation of N. wickliffi
from N. volucellus becomes increasingly difficult.  Specimens
from Pool 8 were mostly N. wickliffi, but several appeared to be
intergrades.  The purpose of this literature review is to
describe the taxonomic and distributional status of N. volucellus
and N. wickliffi in the Mississippi River drainage and to present
supporting biological information that may help to define the
taxonomy and distribution of both species.


KEYWORDS

biology, distribution, life history, Long Term Resource
Monitoring Program, Mississippi River, Notropis volucellus,
Notropis wickliffi, systematics, taxonomy