Species Observations

Index

[SPECIES NAME, (AUTHOR), COMMON NAME]

AGNATHA
PETROMYZONTIDAE:
Lampetra appendix (DeKay)
American brook lamprey	native, rare; non-parasitic; lower portions of Little River and Tabcat Creek.
Ichthyomyzon greeleyi (Hubbs and Trautman)	Southern brook lamprey	native, rare; non-parasitic; found in the lower portions of Little River and Oconaluftee River.
OSTBICHTHYES
SALMONIDAE:
Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)	Rainbow trout	non-native; abundant park wide to elevations of about 4000 ft.
Salmo trutta Linnaeus	Brown trout	non-native; common and expanding in Little Pigeon, Pigeon, Oconaluftee, Little Tennessee River systems, Abrams Creek and Little River. Found in park streams to elevations of about 3000 ft.
Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchell)	Brook trout	native, common; restricted to streams above 3000 ft due to rainbow and brown trout encroachment
CYPRINIDAE:
Campostoma anomalum (Rafinesque)	Central stoneroller	native, abundant; found in all streams up to 3200 ft in elevation.
Clinostomus funduloides Girard	Rosyside dace	native; common in Oconaluftee River, lower portions of Little Tennessee River, and upper portions of Abrams Creek. Found to elevations of about 2000 ft.
Cyprinella galactura (Cope)	Whitetail shiner	native; common at lower elevations in all park streams except the Pigeon River tributaries.
Hemitremia flammea (Jordan and Gilbert)	Flame chub	native, rare; restricted to vegetated spring type habitats above Abrams Falls.
Hybobsis amblops (Rafinesque)	Bigeye chub	native; common in lower portions of Little River, Abrams and Tabcat Creek.
Cyprinella monacha (Cope)	Spotfin chub	native; currently being reintroduced into Abrams Creek.
Luxilus chrysocephalus (Rafinesque)	Striped shiner	native, rare; found only in lower portions of Abrams Creek.
Luxilus coccogenis (Cope)	Warpaint shiner	native; abundant throughout park streams, except in the Pigeon River system. Found in streams up to elevations of about 2200 ft.
Nocomis micropognon (Cope)	River chub	native; common in all systems except Pigeon River up to elevations of 2200 ft.
Notropis leuciodus (Cope)	Tennessee shiner	native; common park wide except Pigeon River up to elevations of about 2200 ft.
Notropis photogenis (Cope)	Silver shiner	native, rare; found in lower portions of Little, Oconaluftee, and Tennessee River systems.
Notropis rubricroceus (Cope)	Saffron shiner	native; common in Little River, Little Pigeon, and Cosby Creek; rare in Mill Creek.
Notropis spectruluncus (Cope)	Mirror shiner	native; common in the lower portions of the Oconaluftee and Little River systems downstream through Forney Creek.
Notropis telescopis (Cope)	Telescope shiner	native; common in Abrams Creek, Little River, and Little Pigeon River systems.
Phenacobius crassilabrum Minckley and Craddock	Fatlips minnow	native, rare; found only in Oconaluftee River near park boundary.
Rhinichthys atratulus (Hermann)	Blacknose dace	native; commonly found park wide up to elevations of 2500 ft.
Rhinichthys cataractae (Valenciennes)	Longnose dace	native; common park wide up to elevations of 3600 ft.
Semotilus atromaculatus (Mitchill)	Creek chub	native; common in Tabcat Creek and upper Abrams Creek.
Notropis rubellis (Agassiz)	Rosyface shiner	native; rare; collected in Twenty-Mile Creek in 1937, no collections of this species have been made since this time.
CATASTOMIDAE:
Catostomus commersoni (Lacepede)	White sucker	native; common park wide.
Hypentilium nigricans (Lesueur)	Northern hog sucker	native; common in all streams of the park to elevations of about 2800 ft.
Moxostoma carinatum (Cope)	River redhorse	native, rare; found in the Little Tennessee River and Abrams Creek systems.
Moxostoma dusquesnei (Lesueur)	Black redhorse	native, common; found in all systems except the Pigeon River.
Moxostoma erythrurum (Rafinesque)	Golden redhorse	native; uncommon in the Little Tennessee and Abrams Creek systems.
Moxostoma macrolepidotum (Lesueur)	Shorthead redhorse	native; rarest of the redhorses found on the park. Collected only in the Tennessee River system (Forney Creek).
ICTALURIDAE:
Notorus baileyi Taylor	Smoky madtom	native; currently being introduced in Abrams Creek.
Notorus flavilinnis Taylor	Yellowfin madtom	native; currently being reintroduced in Abrams Creek.
CENTRARCHIDAE:
Amblopolites rupestris (Rafinesque)	Rock bass	native; common in lower elevations (< 2100 ft) of larger streams.
Micropterus dolomieu Lacepede	Smallmouth bass	native; common in the lower portions of most park stream systems, except the Pigeon River.
PERCIDAE:
Etheostoma blennioides Rafinesque	Greenside darter	native; common in all park systems except the Pigeon River and Abrams Creek.
Etheostoma chlorobranchium Zorach	Greenfin darter	native; common in Little Pigeon River, Little Tennessee River, and Oconalftee River systems.
Etheostoma flabellare Rafinesque	Fantail darter	native; uncommon in the Little Pigeon system.
Etheostoma rufilineatum (Cope)	Redline darter	native; common in the Little Pigeon River, Little River, Abrams Creek, and the Little Tennesee River systems.
Etheostoma simoterum (Cope)	Snubnose darter	native; common in Cosby Creek, Little Pigeon River, Little River, Abrams Creek, and Tabcat Creek.
Etheostoma swannanoa Jordan and Everman	Swannanoa darter	native; uncommon in the Little Pigeon River system, Cosby Creek, and Big Creek.
Etheostoma zonale (Cope)	Banded darter	native; uncommon in the lower portion of Abrams Creek.
Percina aurantiaca (Cope)	Tangerine darter	native; uncommon to rare in Little River and the Little Tennessee River systems.
Percina caprodes (Rafinesque)	Logperch	native; rare in lower Abrams Creek, Tabcat Creek, and West Prong Little Pigeon River.
Percina evides (Jordan and Copeland)	Gilt darter	native; uncommon in the Little River, Abrams Creek, Little Tennessee and Oconaluftee River systems.
Percina squamata (Gilbert and Swain)	Gilt darter	native; commonly found in Fontana Lake tributaries. Most common in Noland Creek.
Etheostoma vulneratum (Cope)	Gilt darter	native; uncommon; most recently collected in Middle Prong Little Pigeon River and Oconaluftee River.
COTTIDAE:
Cottus bairdi Girard	Mottled sculpin	native; common in all of park systems except in Middle Prong Little Pigeon River and Cataloochee Creek.
Cottus carolinae (Gill)	Banded sculpin	native; common in the lower portions of Little River and Middle Prong Little Pigeon River.
POECILIIDAE:
Gambusia affinins (Baird and Girard)	Mosquito fish	non-native; rare; collected only in Tabcat Creek.
ATHERINIDAE:
Labidesthes sicculus (Cope)	Brook silverside	non-native; rare collected only inthe lower portions of Abrams Creek.

Index

CENTRARCHIDAE:
Lepomis auritus (Linnaeus)	Redbreast sunfish	non-native; uncommon in the embayment areas of the park's larger streams.
Lepomis cyanellus (Rafinesque)	Redbreast sunfish	non-native; uncommon in the embayment areas of the park's larger streams.
Lepomis macrochirus (Rafinesque)	Bluegill	non-native; uncommon in the embayment areas of the park's larger streams.
CYPRINIDAE:
Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus)	Common carp	non-native; uncommon; distribution limited to the ambayment areas of the park's larger streams
ICTALURIDAE:
Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque)	Channel catfish	non-native; uncommon in the embayment areas of the park's larger streams.
Ameiurus natalis (Lesueur)	Yellow bullhead	non-native; uncommon; collected only in Tabcat Creek.
PERCIDAE:
Stizostedion vitreum (Mitchill)	Walleye	non-native; collected only in the embayment of Abrams Creek.
CLUPEIDAE:
Dorosoma cepedianum (Lesueur)	Gizzard shad	non-native; uncommon; collected only on the embayment area of Abrams Creek.

Updated: June 24, 1999